FRB of Richmond Working Paper 23-02R
December 2025
Abstract. Married men work more hours than men who have never been married. Fixed effect regressions reveal that part of this gap is attributable to an increase in work around the time of marriage. Two potential explanations for the increase are: (i) men hit by positive labor market shocks are more likely to marry; and (ii) marriage leads men to work more hours. Using a structural life-cycle model, we find that marriage substantially increases male hours of work. Counterfactual simulations suggest that declining marriage rates account for roughly half of the fall in prime age male hours observed over recent decades.
Podcast: The Impact of Marriage on How Much Men Work? (Speaking of the Economy, Aug. 23, 2023)