Marriage and Divorce Since World War II: Analyzing the Role of Technological Progress on the Formation of Households

Greenwood, Jeremy; Guner, Nezih

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Marriage and Divorce Since World War II: Analyzing the Role of Technological Progress on the Formation of Households

CEPR Discussion Paper No. DP6391

57 Pages Posted: 29 May 2008

See all articles by Jeremy Greenwood

Jeremy Greenwood

University of Pennsylvania - Department of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Nezih Guner

Charles III University of Madrid; Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR); IZA Institute of Labor Economics

There are 4 versions of this paper

Date Written: July 2007

Abstract

Since World War II there has been: (i) a rise in the fraction of time that married households allocate to market work, (ii) an increase in the rate of divorce, and (iii) a decline in the rate of marriage. What can explain this? It is argued here that technological progress in the household sector has saved on the need for labour at home. This makes it more feasible for singles to maintain their own home, and for married women to work. To address this question, a search model of marriage and divorce is developed. Household production benefits from labour-saving technological progress.

Keywords: Divorce, Hours Worked, Household Production, Marriage, Technological Progress

JEL Classification: E13, J12, J22, O11

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Greenwood, Jeremy and Guner, Nezih, Marriage and Divorce Since World War II: Analyzing the Role of Technological Progress on the Formation of Households (July 2007). CEPR Discussion Paper No. DP6391, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1137072