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Is the male marriage premium due to selection? The effect of shotgun weddings on the return to marriage

Author

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  • Donna K. Ginther

    (Research Department, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA)

  • Madeline Zavodny

    (Research Department, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA)

Abstract

In standard cross-sectional wage regressions, married men appear to earn 10 to 20% more than comparable never married men. One proposed explanation for this male marriage premium is that men may be selected into marriage on the basis of characteristics valued by employers as well as by spouses or because they earn high wages. This paper examines the selection hypothesis by focusing on shotgun weddings, which may make marital status uncorrelated with earnings ability. We compare the estimated marriage premium between white men whose first marriages are soon followed by a birth and other married white men in the United States. The return to marriage differs little for married men with a premarital conception and other married men, and the results suggest that at most 10% of the estimated marriage premium is due to selection.

Suggested Citation

  • Donna K. Ginther & Madeline Zavodny, 2001. "Is the male marriage premium due to selection? The effect of shotgun weddings on the return to marriage," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 14(2), pages 313-328.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jopoec:v:14:y:2001:i:2:p:313-328
    Note: Received: 19 June 1998/Accepted: 10 July 2000
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure

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