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The Marriage Premium and Productivity: The Case of NBA Players

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  • Ze'ev Shtudiner

    (Ariel University)

Abstract

Numerous studies have shown that there is a marriage premium among male workers - married men's wages are higher than those of single men. One explanation for the existence of a marriage premium is increased productivity. While the estimation of workers' productivity in the standard labor market is often inaccurate and subjective, throughput can be estimated easily in professional sports. This study examines whether a marriage premium exists in relation to the performance and efficiency of professional league basketball players in the United States (NBA). A total marriage premium of 16.4% was found in a comprehensive analysis of the performance of all league players. A more thorough analysis showed that there is a higher marriage premium among international players compared to American players.

Suggested Citation

  • Ze'ev Shtudiner, 2015. "The Marriage Premium and Productivity: The Case of NBA Players," International Journal of Economic Sciences, International Institute of Social and Economic Sciences, vol. 4(4), pages 53-65, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:sek:jijoes:v:4:y:2015:i:4:p:53-65
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Zeev Shtudiner & Gilad Tohar & Jeffrey Kantor, 2022. "The effect of identification with a sports team and its performance on the willingness of fans to pay for team products," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(3), pages 607-615, April.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Productivity; wage gap; marriage; basketball;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J70 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination - - - General

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