Sanford School of Public Policy
Duke University
Publications [#152612] of Christina M. Gibson-Davis
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Other Working Papers
- Gibson-Davis, C.M. "The Association between Fathers’ Informal Employment and Marriage." (2008).
(last updated on 2013/10/15)Abstract:
With data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Survey (n = 2,635), this study investigates how participation in the informal economy affects fathers’ marital transitions. Using life table estimates and survival analysis, results indicate that informal earnings were associated with decreased odds of marriage, but only for fathers with a terminal high school diploma. Among college-educated fathers, the association between informal earnings and marriage was much weaker, though informal earners did have slightly higher marriage rates. Results for the low educated group suggest that men with informal earnings fare worse in the marriage market because potential partners are unwilling to marry economically risky men, and suggest that informal earnings are discounted because they come from informal sources.