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Is Marriage Protecting your Health in Recession Times?

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  • Joan Gil

Abstract

This paper aims to contribute to the literature on the protective effects of marriage on individuals' health by examining whether this advantage is still valid in recession times. A two stage empirical strategy is followed based on individual-level cross-section data for Spain. Using propensity score matching techniques we firstly estimate the causal impact of divorce and legal separation (marital dissolution) on mental health and binge drinking in two different points in time: before and during the economic crisis. Secondly, we examine whether there exists an incremental or detrimental effect on these health outcomes implied by the economic recession using differencein-difference (DiD) regression methods, upon conditioning on a proxy of innate health status.

Suggested Citation

  • Joan Gil, 2016. "Is Marriage Protecting your Health in Recession Times?," Studies on the Spanish Economy eee2016-19, FEDEA.
    • Handle: RePEc:fda:fdaeee:eee2016-19
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nezih Guner & Yuliya Kulikova & Joan Llull, 2014. "Does Marriage Make You Healthier?," Working Papers 795, Barcelona School of Economics.
    2. John Murray, 2000. "Marital protection and marital selection: Evidence from a historical-prospective sample of American men," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 37(4), pages 511-521, November.
    3. Theodore W. Schultz, 1974. "Economics of the Family: Marriage, Children, and Human Capital," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number schu74-1, March.
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    6. Christopher J. Ruhm, 2000. "Are Recessions Good for Your Health?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 115(2), pages 617-650.
    7. Lee Lillard & Constantijn Panis, 1996. "Marital status and mortality: The role of health," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 33(3), pages 313-327, August.
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    11. Robert G. Wood & Brian Goesling & Sarah Avellar, "undated". "The Effects of Marriage on Health: A Synthesis of Recent Research Evidence," Mathematica Policy Research Reports d69bf47785bc4154a4e184aa5, Mathematica Policy Research.
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure

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