The marriage age U-shape
- authored by
- Pavel Jelnov
- Abstract
In this paper, I address the U-shaped dynamics (a decrease followed by an increase) in the age at first marriage during the twentieth century. First, I show that the U-shaped dynamics have been steeper in Western that in other countries. Second, I find that these dynamics in the West are strongly related to the post-World War II (WWII) economic growth. By contrast, in the nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth centuries age of marriage was much less correlated across Western countries. I propose a simple model where age of marriage is a function of search frictions and married women's labor force participation. Both factors put together generate U-shaped dynamics as a result of an industrial boom that mimics the post-WWII Western economic development.
- Organisation(s)
-
Institute of Labour Economics
- External Organisation(s)
-
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
- Type
- Article
- Journal
- Journal of demographic economics
- Volume
- 89
- Pages
- 211-252
- No. of pages
- 42
- ISSN
- 2054-0892
- Publication date
- 2023
- Publication status
- Published
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Demography, Geography, Planning and Development, Economics and Econometrics
- Sustainable Development Goals
- SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth
- Electronic version(s)
-
https://doi.org/10.1017/dem.2021.27 (Access:
Open)
