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ACCOUNTING FOR THE TIMING OF FIRST MARRIAGE *
Author(s) -
DíazGiménez Javier,
Giolito Eugenio
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
international economic review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.658
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1468-2354
pISSN - 0020-6598
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-2354.2012.00728.x
Subject(s) - economics , fecundity , demographic economics , overlapping generations model , demography , labour economics , population , sociology
Among first marriages in the United States, grooms are on average 1.7 years older than their brides. Traditionally, this fact is explained by sex differences in income. We use a general equilibrium, overlapping generations search model economy to show instead that sex differences in fecundity are essential to account for the age gap at first marriage, whereas sex differences in income play a secondary role. Our model economy also accounts for other facts on the timing of first marriages that the literature has overlooked.