Social Change: The Sexual Revolution

Jeremy Greenwood and Nezih Guner

No 550, RCER Working Papers from University of Rochester - Center for Economic Research (RCER)

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.

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)
Pages: 61 pages
Date: 2009-05
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dge and nep-evo
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Related works:
Journal Article: SOCIAL CHANGE: THE SEXUAL REVOLUTION (2010)
Working Paper: Social Change: The Sexual Revolution (2009)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:roc:rocher:550

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