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Technology and the Changing Family: A Unified Model of marriage, Divorce, Educational Attainment and Married Female Labor-Force Participation

Author

Listed:
  • Jeremy Greenwood

    (University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104)

  • Nezih Guner

    (ICREA-MOVE, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona and Barcelona GSE, Spain)

  • Georgi Kocharkov

    (Department of Economics, University of Konstanz, Germany)

  • Cezar Santos

    (Getulio Vargas Foundation)

Abstract

Marriage has declined since 1960, with the drop being bigger for non-college educated individuals versus college educated ones. Divorce has increased, more so for the non-college educated. Additionally, positive assortative mating has risen. Income inequality among households has also widened. A unified model of marriage, divorce, educational attainment and married female labor-force participation is developed and estimated to fit the postwar U.S. data. Two underlying driving forces are considered: technological progress in the household sector and shifts in the wage structure. The analysis emphasizes the joint role that educational attainment, married female labor-force participation, and assortative mating play in determining income inequality.

Suggested Citation

  • Jeremy Greenwood & Nezih Guner & Georgi Kocharkov & Cezar Santos, 2015. "Technology and the Changing Family: A Unified Model of marriage, Divorce, Educational Attainment and Married Female Labor-Force Participation," Working Paper Series of the Department of Economics, University of Konstanz 2015-04, Department of Economics, University of Konstanz.
    • Handle: RePEc:knz:dpteco:1504
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Assortative mating; education; married female labor supply; household production; marriage and divorce; inequality;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J17 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Value of Life; Foregone Income
    • J62 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Job, Occupational and Intergenerational Mobility; Promotion

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