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The Influence of Men’s Income and Employment on Marriage and Cohabitation: Testing Oppenheimer’s Theory in Europe
[L’impact du niveau de revenu et du travail des hommes sur le mariage et la cohabitation: la théorie d’Oppenheimer testée en Europe]

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  • Matthijs Kalmijn

    (Tilburg University)

Abstract

This article discusses Oppenheimer’s theory on marriage timing, reviews the way this theory was received in European demography and family sociology, and develops a new test of the theory using annual panel data from 13 European countries for the period 1994–2001. Several indicators of men’s economic status are used, including school enrollment, employment, type of labor contract, work experience, income, and education. Effects of these indicators are estimated for the transition to marriage and cohabitation, as well as for the transition from cohabitation to marriage. Country differences in these effects are examined as well. The evidence provides strong support for the male breadwinner hypothesis on the one hand, and for Oppenheimer’s career uncertainty hypothesis on the other. However, the relevance of these hypotheses also depends on the national context, and especially on the way gender roles are divided in a society.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthijs Kalmijn, 2011. "The Influence of Men’s Income and Employment on Marriage and Cohabitation: Testing Oppenheimer’s Theory in Europe [L’impact du niveau de revenu et du travail des hommes sur le mariage et la cohabit," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 27(3), pages 269-293, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:eurpop:v:27:y:2011:i:3:d:10.1007_s10680-011-9238-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s10680-011-9238-x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Landaud, Fanny, 2021. "From employment to engagement? Stable jobs, temporary jobs, and cohabiting relationships," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    3. Ryohei Mogi & Ryota Mugiyama & Giammarco Alderotti, 2022. "Employment uncertainty and non-coresidential partnership in very-low fertility countries: Italy and Japan," Econometrics Working Papers Archive 2022_07, Universita' degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Statistica, Informatica, Applicazioni "G. Parenti".
    4. Rouvroye, Lin & van Dalen, Hendrik Peter & Henkens, Kène & Schippers, Joop J., 2024. "A distaste for insecurity: job preferences of young people in the transition to adulthood," Other publications TiSEM 2d305dbd-636e-48e8-afb6-c, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    5. Silvia Meggiolaro & Fausta Ongaro & Elena Pirani, 2024. "First Union Formation in Italy: The Role of Micro- and Macro-Level Economic Conditions," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 40(1), pages 1-34, December.
    6. Alisa C. Lewin, 2012. "Marriage Patterns Among Palestinians in Israel [Schémas de Nuptialité Chez Les Palestiniens d’Israël]," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 28(3), pages 359-380, August.
    7. Erzsébet Bukodi, 2012. "Serial Cohabitation among Men in Britain: Does Work History Matter? [Cohabitations successives des hommes en Angleterre : l’histoire professionnelle joue-t-elle un rôle ?]," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 28(4), pages 441-466, November.
    8. Layla Van den Berg & Dimitri Mortelmans, 2022. "Endogamy and relationship dissolution: Does unmarried cohabitation matter?," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 47(17), pages 489-528.
    9. Brian Buh, 2021. "Measuring the Effect of Employment uncertainty on Fertility in Europe (A literature review)," VID Working Papers 2103, Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna.
    10. Sunnee Billingsley & Livia Oláh, 2022. "Patterns of Co‐Residential Relationships Across Cohorts in Post‐Socialist Countries: Less Time for Childbearing?," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 10(3), pages 87-99.
    11. Ryohei Mogi & Daniele Vignoli, 2021. "Sexual debut and dating of university students in low fertility societies: Italy and Japan," Econometrics Working Papers Archive 2021_06, Universita' degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Statistica, Informatica, Applicazioni "G. Parenti".

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