Gender equality through marriage

Gloria Moroni (), Cheti Nicoletti (), Kjell Salvanes () and Emma Tominey ()
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Gloria Moroni: Ca' Foscari University of Venice
Cheti Nicoletti: University of York
Kjell Salvanes: Norwegian School of Economics
Emma Tominey: University of York

No 25-16, CEPEO Working Paper Series from UCL Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities

Abstract: We revisit the economic effects of marriage, analysing its heterogeneous impact on the intra-household labour division following childbirth. Can marriage promote coordination of work and child activities between parents and a gender egalitarian division of labour? Using a marginal treatment effect framework, we find the average effect of marriage is to increase parental specialization and worsen the mother's child penalty. However, we find differences across couples with varying resistance to marriage. While traditional couples (low-resistance) exhibit increased specialization; in modern couples (high-resistance) fathers have an earnings penalty and take more paternity leave, suggesting more coordination and gender equality.

Keywords: Cohabitation; Marriage; Specialization; Cooperation; Child human capital. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J11 J12 J13 J18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 80 pages
Date: 2025-12, Revised 2025-12
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https://repec-cepeo.ucl.ac.uk/cepeow/cepeowp25-16.pdf Initial version, 2025 (application/pdf)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ucl:cepeow:25-16

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