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Title: Is There a Shortage of Marriagable Men?

Citation Type: Miscellaneous

Publication Year: 2015

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Abstract: In the last half century, marriage rates have fallen dramatically. In this paper, we explore possible drivers of this trend, including declining economic prospects among men, an increase in unwed births that constrain women’s later marriageability, rising rates of incarceration, and a reversal of the education gap that once favored men and now favors women. We estimate that the decline in male earnings since 1970 among both black and less-educated white men can explain a portion of the decline in marriage, but that cultural factors have played an important role as well. We argue that the ratio of marriageable men to women depends critically on how one defines “marriageable.” Looking just at current data rather than historical trends, and using different definitions of marriageability, we find that there are shortages of marriageable men among the black population, but not among the white population (except among the best educated).

Url: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/a051/eb28b75a12253034006a1b7120dbb22e0cb0.pdf

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Authors: Sawhill, Isabel; Venator, Joanna

Publisher: Center on Children and Families at BROOKINGS

Data Collections: IPUMS CPS

Topics: Family and Marriage

Countries: United States