Symbolism matters: The effect of same-sex marriage legalization on partnership stability

Shuai Chen; Jan C. van Ours

Symbolism matters: The effect of same-sex marriage legalization on partnership stability

Shuai Chen
, Jan C. van Ours

Living Conditions

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

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.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	44-58
Journal	Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization
Volume	178
Early online date	2 Aug 2020
Publication status	Published - Oct 2020

Keywords

Same-sex marriage
Registered partnership
Separation
Duration analysis

Access to Document

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2020.07.021Licence: CC BY

Cite this

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title = "Symbolism matters: The effect of same-sex marriage legalization on partnership stability",

abstract = "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.",

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AB - 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.

KW - Same-sex marriage

KW - Registered partnership

KW - Separation

KW - Duration analysis

M3 - Article

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EP - 58

JO - Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization

JF - Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization

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