Abstract
In this paper we document that married individuals face a lower unemployment rate than their single counterparts. We refer to this phenomenon as the marriage unemployment gap. Despite dramatic demographic changes in the labor market over the last decades, this gap has been remarkably stable both for men and women. Using a flow-decomposition exercise, we assess which transition probabilities (across labor force states) are behind this phenomenon: For men, the main driver is the higher job losing probabilities faced by single workers. For females, the participation margin also plays a crucial role.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 20160060 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 6 Jun 2017 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 26 Jan 2018 |
Research Groups and Themes
- ECON Macroeconomics
- ECON CEPS Welfare
Keywords
- households
- marriage
- unemployment
- worker flows
Access to Document
- Full-text PDF (accepted author manuscript)
This is the author accepted manuscript (AAM). The final published version (version of record) is available online via De Gruyter at https://www.degruyter.com/view/j/bejm.ahead-of-print/bejm-2016-0060/bejm-2016-0060.xml. Please refer to any applicable terms of use of the publisher.
