Social Change: The Sexual Revolution

Jeremy Greenwood () and Nezih Guner ()

No 9, Economie d'Avant Garde Research Reports from Economie d'Avant Garde

Abstract: In 1900 only six percent of unwed females engaged in premarital sex. Now, three quarters do. The sexual revolution is studied here using an equilibrium matching model, where the costs of premarital sex fall over time due to technological improvement in contraceptives. Individuals differ in their desire for sex. Given this, people tend to circulate in social groups where prospective partners share their views on premarital sex. To the extent that a society's customs and mores reflect the aggregation of decentralized decision making by its members, shifts in the economic environment may induce changes in what is perceived as culture. International Economic Review, forthcoming

Keywords: Social change; the sexual revolution; technological progress in contraceptives; bilateral search. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E1 J1 O3 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-evo and nep-soc
Date: 2005-03, Revised 2009-04
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Working Paper: Social Change: The Sexual Revolution (2009)
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