Does selection into specialization’ explain the differences in time use between married and cohabiting couples? An empirical application for Germany

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.