On the Economics of Marriage

Dr. Grossbard-Shechtman develops a theory of marriage in the tradition of Nobel-prize-winning economist Gary Becker. By incorporating the concept of spousal labor into her theory, the author derives many new hypotheses regarding various aspects of marriage, divorce, and cohabitation, thereby improving our understanding of the institution of marriage. Her analysis is also an improvement over conventional theories of labor force participation and labor productivity. She provides empirical evidence for sex ratio effects on the status of women in society, sex ratio effects on women's labor force participation, and compensating differentials in marriage. Although her studies of cohabitation, divorce, intermarriage, polygamy, labor force participation, spousal help, and religiosity put emphasis on the effects of wage, income, and education, she also considers cultural and social influences on behavior.