Does selection into specialization’ explain the differences in time use between married and cohabiting couples? An empirical application for Germany
Discutante : Marion Leturq (PSE-CREST)
The aim of this paper is to identify the sources of time use
differences between married and cohabiting couples and to answer
the question whether there is a "selection into specialization",
i.e. whether cohabiting partners who agree on a (traditional)
division of work simply have a higher probability of getting
married. In a non-parametric matching approach, we compare couples
who get married in the German Socio-Economic Panel between 1991 and
2008 with couples who remain cohabiters. Taking the potential
selection into marriage into account, differences in the
intra-couple division of market work and child care are
considerably reduced by 54 to 66 percent. Thus, couples who
anticipate specialization in time use (and its corresponding
economic advantages) seem to pre-select into formal marriage.
However, remaining differences in time use leave sufficient scope
for an additional specialization reinforcing effect of the
institutional framework of marriage in Germany, particularly for
the subsample of couples who become parents.