Extramarital Sex: Closing the Gender Gap
Abstract:
In a recent series of papers Stevenson and Wolfers (2006, 2007a, 2007b) argue divorce has become less prevalent due to the evolving role of marriage. Where once marriage was about the advantages of joint production, more recently marriage has evolved to facilitate joint consumption. These changes have occurred through the improved outside opportunities for women and the increase in bargaining power stemming from changes in divorces laws. In this paper we extend their analysis by delving into occurrence of marital infidelity. Specifically we look at extramarital sex and find for women the likelihood of having had sex while married has increased, given they have less to lose from divorce than previously, and for men the likelihood of extra marital affairs has decreased due in part to its increased likelihood of causing a marital dissolution instigated by the wife, though this effect is weaker for African American males.We also find evidence of better assortative matching on sexual interest which has improved the efficiency of the marriage market. These changes cannot be explained by a decline in the social taboo of extra marital affairs.
Very Preliminary version here [pdf]
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