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Document Type

Article

Abstract

The male marital wage premium is the wage difference between married and unmarried men. This paper explores the potential sources of the male marital wage premium using cross-sectional and time series regression models from previous economic research. The studies examined suggest three possible explanations for the marital wage premium: marriage makes men more productive, marriage allows men to spend more time in the labor market, and men who earn above-average wages possess certain characteristics that make them more attractive in the marriage market. The studies examined favor the theories that men are more productive after marriage and higher wages increase the probability of marriage.

Publication Date

Spring 2012

Journal Title

Major Themes in Economics

Volume

14

Issue

1

First Page

77

Last Page

89

Copyright

©2012 by Major Themes in Economics

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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