Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/215156 
Year of Publication: 
2019
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 12760
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
The 19th and 20th centuries saw a transformation in contraceptive technologies and their take up. This led to a sexual revolution, which witnessed a rise in premarital sex and out-of-wedlock births, and a decline in marriage. The impact of contraception on married and single life is analyzed here both theoretically and quantitatively. The analysis is conducted using a model where people search for partners. Upon finding one, they can choose between abstinence, marriage, and a premarital sexual relationship. The model is confronted with some stylized facts about premarital sex and marriage over the course of the 20th century. Some economic history is also presented.
Subjects: 
age of marriage
contraceptive technology
history
never-married population
number of partners
out-of-wedlock births
premarital sex
singles
JEL: 
J11
J12
N3
O3
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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