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Are Pornography and Marriage Substitutes for Young Men?

Author

Listed:
  • Malcolm, Michael

    (West Chester University of Pennsylvania)

  • Naufal, George S

    (Texas A&M University)

Abstract

Substitutes for marital sexual gratification may impact the decision to marry. Proliferation of the Internet has made pornography an increasingly low-cost substitute. We investigate the effect of Internet usage, and of pornography consumption specifically, on the marital status of young men. We show that increased Internet usage is negatively associated with marriage formation. Pornography consumption specifically has an even stronger effect. Instrumental variables and a number of robustness checks suggest that the effect is causal.

Suggested Citation

  • Malcolm, Michael & Naufal, George S, 2014. "Are Pornography and Marriage Substitutes for Young Men?," IZA Discussion Papers 8679, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp8679
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Karel Karsten Himawan & Matthew Bambling & Sisira Edirippulige, 2018. "What Does It Mean to Be Single in Indonesia? Religiosity, Social Stigma, and Marital Status Among Never-Married Indonesian Adults," SAGE Open, , vol. 8(3), pages 21582440188, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    divorce; marital formation; pornography;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes

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