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Chen, S. and J.C. van Ours (Jan)

2020-10-01

Symbolism Matters: The Effect of Same-Sex Marriage Legalization on Partnership Stability

Publication

Publication

Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization , Volume 178 p. 44- 58

Registered partnership (RP) and marriage in the Netherlands are identical in terms of rights and obligations but may differ in symbolism. Exploiting same-sex marriage legalization (SSML) in the Netherlands as a policy shock, we investigate the effect of marital symbolism on partnership stability. Applying a mixed competing risks model to administrative micro-data, we disentangle selectivity into marriage from the effect of getting married. Our main finding is that partnerships that transformed into marriage had a substantially lower separation rate. We take this result as evidence of the symbolic effect of marriage stabilizing partnerships. We discuss economic mechanisms of marital symbolism related to marriage premiums.

Additional Metadata
Keywords Same-sex marriage, Registered partnership, Separation, Duration analysis
JEL Positive Analysis of Policy-Making and Implementation (jel D78), Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure (jel J12), Economics of Minorities and Races; Non-labor Discrimination (jel J15), Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination (jel J16), Family and Personal Law (jel K36)
Persistent URL doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2020.07.021, hdl.handle.net/1765/132553
Journal Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization
Organisation Department of Applied Economics
Citation
Chen, S., & van Ours, J. (2020). Symbolism Matters: The Effect of Same-Sex Marriage Legalization on Partnership Stability. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 178, 44–58. doi:10.1016/j.jebo.2020.07.021
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