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Lowering Standards to Wed? Spouse Quality, Marriage, and Labor Market Responses to the Gender Wage Gap

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  • Na'ama Shenhav

    (Dartmouth College)

Abstract

This paper examines the effect of the female-to-male wage ratio, “relative wage,” on women's spouse quality, marriage, and labor supply over three decades. Exploiting task-based demand shifts as a shock to relative pay, I find that a higher relative wage (a) increases the quality of women's mates, as measured by higher spousal education; (b) reduces marriage without substitution to cohabitation; and (c) raises women's hours of work. These effects are consistent with a model in which a higher relative wage increases the minimum nonpecuniary benefits (“quality”) women require from a spouse and therefore reduce marriage among low-quality husbands.

Suggested Citation

  • Na'ama Shenhav, 2021. "Lowering Standards to Wed? Spouse Quality, Marriage, and Labor Market Responses to the Gender Wage Gap," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 103(2), pages 265-279, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:tpr:restat:v:103:y:2021:i:2:p:265-279
    DOI: 10.1162/rest_a_00919
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Gould, Eric, 2023. "The Return to College, Marriage, and Intergenerational Mobility," CEPR Discussion Papers 18566, Centre for Economic Policy Research.
    2. So Yoon Ahn & Meiqing Ren, 2022. "Gender Wage Gap, Bargaining Power, and Charitable Giving of Households," Working Papers 2022-033, Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Working Group.
    3. Hani Mansour & Terra McKinnish, 2023. "Male wage inequality and characteristics of “early mover” marriages," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 36(1), pages 115-138, January.
    4. So Yoon Ahn & Yu Kyung Koh, 2022. "Spousal Bargaining Power and Consumption of Married Couples in the US: Evidence from Scanner Data," Working Papers 2022-010, Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Working Group.
    5. Osea Giuntella & Lorenzo Rotunno & Luca Stella, 2022. "Globalization, Fertility and Marital Behavior in a Lowest-Low Fertility Setting," CESifo Working Paper Series 9755, CESifo.
    6. Benjamin W. Arold & Paul Hufe & Marc Stoeckli, 2022. "Genetic Endowments, Educational Outcomes and the Mediating Influence of School Investments," CESifo Working Paper Series 9841, CESifo.
    7. Harris, Jorgen, 2022. "Do wages fall when women enter an occupation?," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    8. Zainab Hans & Michael H. Belzer, 2025. "Gender wage gap and male perpetrated child abuse," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 23(4), pages 1301-1322, December.
    9. Wei Luo & Xianqiang Zou, 2024. "Demographic impacts of China’s trade liberalization: marriage, spousal quality, and fertility," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 37(3), pages 1-31, September.
    10. Paul Hufe, 2024. "The Parental Wage Gap and the Development of Socio-emotional Skills in Children," Working Papers 2024-010, Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Working Group.
    11. Lennon, Conor, 2023. "Women’s educational attainment, marriage, and fertility: Evidence from the 1944 G.I. Bill," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    12. Jason M. Lindo & Krishna Regmi & Isaac D. Swensen, 2025. "Stable Income, Stable Family," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 107(3), pages 653-667, May.
    13. Hufe, Paul, 2024. "The Parental Wage Gap and the Development of Socio-Emotional Skills in Children," IZA Discussion Papers 16977, IZA Network @ LISER.
    14. Yu, Shule & Zhang, Jun & Yan, Xueling, 2024. "Robots, gender economic opportunities and household adjustment: Evidence from China," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 57-67.
    15. Paul Hufe, 2024. "The Parental Wage Gap and the Development of Socio-Emotional Skills in Children," CESifo Working Paper Series 11111, CESifo.
    16. Allison Dwyer Emory & Daniel P. Miller & Lenna Nepomnyaschy & Maureen R. Waller & Alexandra Haralampoudis, 2020. "The Minimum Wage and Fathers’ Residence with Children," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 41(3), pages 472-491, September.
    17. Hufe, Paul & Kobus, Martyna & Peichl, Andreas & Schüle, Paul, 2025. "Multidimensional equality of opportunity in the United States," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    18. Isaac, Elliott, 2024. "Spousal Labor Supply: Decoupling Gender Norms and Earning Status," IZA Discussion Papers 17354, IZA Network @ LISER.

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