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Understanding The Effects Of Marriage And Divorce On Financial Investments: The Role Of Background Risk Sharing

Author

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  • Charlotte Christiansen
  • Juanna Schröter Joensen
  • Jesper Rangvid

Abstract

We investigate how changes in marital status affect financial investments and how these effects vary with background risk. We use detailed register‐based panel data and difference‐in‐differences estimators to benchmark common unobserved influences on financial investments. Women increase the fraction of wealth invested in stocks after marriage and decrease it after divorce, whereas men show the opposite behavior. Households whose joint labor income risk is reduced more by marriage have a higher increase in their exposure to risky assets in marriage. Thus income risk sharing in the household is important for financial risk taking and investment responses to marital transitions. (JEL G11, J12, J16, D14)

Suggested Citation

  • Charlotte Christiansen & Juanna Schröter Joensen & Jesper Rangvid, 2015. "Understanding The Effects Of Marriage And Divorce On Financial Investments: The Role Of Background Risk Sharing," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 53(1), pages 431-447, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ecinqu:v:53:y:2015:i:1:p:431-447
    DOI: 10.1111/ecin.12113
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    Cited by:

    1. Ning Wang, 2019. "The demand for life insurance in a heterogeneous-agent life cycle economy with joint decisions," The Geneva Risk and Insurance Review, Palgrave Macmillan;International Association for the Study of Insurance Economics (The Geneva Association), vol. 44(2), pages 176-206, September.
    2. Kamila Duraj & Daniela Grunow & Michael Haliassos & Christine Laudenbach & Stephan Siegel, 2025. "Rethinking the Stock Market Participation Puzzle: A Qualitative Approach," CESifo Working Paper Series 11980, CESifo.
    3. Andrew Grant & Steve Satchell, 2019. "Endogenous divorce risk and investment," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 32(3), pages 845-876, July.
    4. Annika Bacher, 2023. "The Gender Investment Gap over the Life-Cycle," Working Papers 03/2023, Centre for Household Finance and Macroeconomic Research (HOFIMAR), BI Norwegian Business School.
    5. Mark J. Browne & Verena Jäger & Andreas Richter & Petra Steinorth, 2022. "Family changes and the willingness to take risks," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 89(1), pages 187-209, March.
    6. Oded STARK & Krzysztof SZCZYGIELSKI, 2019. "The Likelihood of Divorce and the Riskiness of Financial Decisions," JODE - Journal of Demographic Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 85(3), pages 209-229, September.
    7. Grant, Andrew & Kalev, Petko S. & Subrahmanyam, Avanidhar & Joakim Westerholm, P., 2022. "Retail trading activity and major lifecycle events: The case of divorce," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    8. Duraj, Kamila & Grunow, Daniela & Chaliasos, Michael & Laudenbach, Christine & Siegel, Stephan, 2024. "Rethinking the stock market participation puzzle: A qualitative approach," IMFS Working Paper Series 210, Goethe University Frankfurt, Institute for Monetary and Financial Stability (IMFS).
    9. Ling Tian & Haisong Dong, 2022. "Family Life Cycle, Asset Portfolio, and Commercial Health Insurance Demand in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(24), pages 1-18, December.
    10. Kristoffersen, Ingebjørg & Hoang, Dan & Li, Ian W., 2024. "Understanding the mental health-based poverty trap: Dynamics in psychological distress and financial precariousness, and the role of self-efficacy," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    11. Duraj, Kamila & Grunow, Daniela & Chaliasos, Michael & Laudenbach, Christine & Siegel, Stephan, 2024. "Rethinking the stock market participation puzzle: A qualitative approach," SAFE Working Paper Series 441, Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE.
    12. Levin, Mark (Левин, Марк) & Matrosova, Ksenia (Матросова, Ксения), 2018. "Development and Research of Economic Behavior of Households in Changing Conditions [Разработка И Исследование Экономического Поведения Домохозяйств В Изменяющихся Условиях]," Working Papers 041825, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration.
    13. Yulin Liu & Min Zhang, 2020. "Is household registration system responsible for the limited participation of stock market in China?," Review of Behavioral Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 13(3), pages 332-350, July.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • D14 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Saving; Personal Finance

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