Dynamic Effects of Educational Assortative Mating on Labor Supply

Arbeitspapier

In 30% of young American couples the wife is more educated than the husband. Those women are characterized by a substantially higher employment (all else equal), which in turn amplifies income inequality across couples. Using NLSY79, we formulate and structurally estimate a dynamic life-cycle model of endogenous marriage and labor supply decisions in a collective framework. We establish that the education gap at the time of marriage, produces dynamic effects due to human capital accumulation and implied wage growth. Inequality between couples is largely driven by the persistence in labor supply choices and only slightly affected by assortative matching.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 9958

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Time Allocation and Labor Supply ; Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure; Domestic Abuse ; Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity ; Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
• Subject: educational assortative mating ; female labor supply ; human capital ; inequality

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Gihleb, Rania ; Lifshitz, Osnat
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2016

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/142397
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:44 AM CET