Job Market Paper: "Decisions to Remain Cohabiting or Marry Among U.S. Women"

I make use of data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth – 1997 (NLSY97) to examine the decisions of women to remain cohabiting or marry.  The empirical analysis is rooted in theoretical considerations of factors that encourage being in a partnership or marrying.  In particular, the analysis focuses on the availability of partners and whether their characteristics would be likely to enhance welfare within a cohabiting relationship or marriage.  NLSY97 public data are used in the analysis in order to construct measures of the availability of partners as well as their characteristics in the marriage markets where the women live. Those locally constructed measures are used in an Instrumental Variables estimation framework to estimate the impact of key characteristics of partners in an area on women’s relationship status.  Estimates indicate that the incomes of women’s potential partners play a meaningful role in determining their observed relationship status and movement into marriage.

Working Paper: "Who are the cohabitants in U.S.?"

This study investigates the demographic and economic characteristics of cohabitants in the United States using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97). By analyzing variables such as education, earnings, gender, and race, the research provides a comprehensive profile of individuals in cohabiting relationships and contrasts these findings with those who are married. The study reveals that cohabitants often exhibit different socio-economic profiles, including lower educational attainment and income levels compared to their married counterparts. Additionally, cohabiting individuals tend to display patterns related to labor force participation and pregnancy rates, with significant variation across education and race. These findings offer insights into the economic and personal factors shaping relationship decisions and highlight the broader implications for understanding family structures and socioeconomic outcomes in contemporary society.