Marriage: For Love, for Money….And for Time?

Review of the Economics of the Household, Forthcoming

34 Pages Posted: 17 Oct 2010

See all articles by Victoria Vernon

Victoria Vernon

State University of New York - Empire State College

Date Written: December 1, 2009

Abstract

Married couples enjoy meaningful economies in time, often choosing to specialize where one spouse focuses on market work and the other on household production and childcare. Using data from the American Time Use Survey 2003-2008, I estimate significant marriage effects upon time use. Most married women gain 33-34 minutes of leisure each weekday when compared to single women. While marriage does not lead to more leisure for husbands, it allows them to allocate time away from home and towards market work. Lower-income couples work more at home and for pay, and spend less time in leisure than their single counterparts. The temporal and financial gains from marriage for most people are inconsistent with its declining prevalence.

Keywords: Time Use, Marriage, Household Production

JEL Classification: J12, J22

Suggested Citation

Vernon, Victoria, Marriage: For Love, for Money….And for Time? (December 1, 2009). Review of the Economics of the Household, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1528225

Victoria Vernon (Contact Author)

State University of New York - Empire State College ( email )

325 Hudston st, office 525
New York, NY 10013
United States

HOME PAGE: http://vvernon.sunyempirefaculty.net

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