Likes and Hearts
Sex Ratios, Sexual Network Formation, and Sexual Diseases: The Role of Gender
Yifan Kang & Roland Pongou
American Journal of Health Economics, forthcoming
Abstract:
How does the sex ratio affect sexual network formation, relationship stability, and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, and how do these effects differ by gender? We address these questions by developing a dynamic theory of sexual network formation in a two-sided economy, where agents enjoy having many sexual partners but do not want their partners to have others. We fully characterize steady state sexual networks. This characterization implies that a larger male-to-female ratio decreases sexual infidelity and the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The effect on sexual infidelity is larger for men compared to women, whereas the effect on STIs is larger for women compared to men. We test these predictions of the model using a unique individual-level dataset, in combination with census data from England and Wales. Exploiting variation in cohort/ethnicity/region-specific sex ratios as a quasi-natural experiment, we find that a larger sex ratio decreases sexual infidelity and the number of serial partners, increases the likelihood of safe sex, and reduces the likelihood of acquiring STIs. In line with the model, these effects vary by gender.
Divorce and Property Division Laws Shape Human Capital Investment
Peter Blair & Elijah Neilson
NBER Working Paper, August 2023
Abstract:
In theory, unilateral divorce laws alter the private incentive to invest in human capital by permitting either spouse to initiate the division of the marital assets. Using several causal research designs we show that both men and women are less likely to attain a bachelor's degree in states with unilateral divorce laws -- especially individuals who were exposed to the laws when making educational choices and who live in states requiring an even split of assets upon divorce. Unilateral divorce laws do not distort human capital investment generically -- but rather in contexts where the property division laws invite moral hazard.
Stability and change in predictors of marital dissolution in the US 1950-2017
Michael Rosenfeld & Katharina Roesler
Journal of Marriage and Family, forthcoming
Method: We use a variety of event history models to examine the change over time in race, ethnicity, intermarriage, premarital cohabitation, education, teen marriages, and family of origin intactness as predictors of marital dissolution using data on first marriages from the National Survey of Family Growth covering seven decades of marital histories. We examine racial differences in the nonracial predictors of divorce.
Results: In the post-Civil Rights era, Black women's and White women's marital dissolution rates converged. In the most recent marriage cohorts, marital dissolution rates for Black women have increased relative to White women and teen marriage is increasingly associated with divorce. Women without the BA degree appear to be increasingly at risk for divorce. We find that wives from racial minority groups have divorce rates that are less impacted by premarital cohabitation, low education, and teen marriage.
Whither the silly goose: Clarifying women's preference for men's successful humor displays across mating contexts and social affordance judgments
Mitch Brown, Madeline Brown & Zach Buckner
Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences, forthcoming
Abstract:
One of the evolutionary functions of humor for men is to connote their interest to women. However, women's prioritization of humor from prospective mates could foster especially judicious criteria for humor quality, which may have led selection to favor particularly funny men. The current research presents four studies comparing the desirability of men whose humor displays vary in quality (i.e., funny vs. unfunny). Women prefer men capable of successful humor despite viewing both humor displays as similarly friendly (Study 1). This preference appears to be rooted in perceptions of investment potential (Study 2) and especially apparent for long-term mating (Study 3). Physical attractiveness additionally heightened a preference for funny men (Study 4). These findings provide continued evidence for the desirability of successful humor displays in women's mate preference by identifying the underpinnings and boundaries of these preferences. We contextualize results from complementary perspectives of humor being sexually selected and connoting interest.
Romantic Attraction and Insensitivity to Aggressive Cues Among Honor-Oriented Women
Kiersten Baughman & Ryan Brown
Sexuality & Culture, October 2023, Pages 1794-1812
Abstract:
Expectations for behavior that might influence early-stage attraction in romantic relationships are likely to be influenced by cultural values, such as those found in cultures of honor. Honor-based ideals emphasize reputation maintenance and create powerful expectations for the behaviors of men and women. This study sought to examine the role of masculine honor norms in how college women in the southern United States respond to behavioral cues presented by a man in an online dating simulation. Specifically, women who more strongly endorsed masculine honor norms demonstrated an insensitivity to aggressive behavior reported by a man who was a potential romantic partner compared to women who did not endorse these same honor norms. Results indicate that honor-oriented women reported strong romantic interest in a male even when he reveals aggressive actions in his online dating profile. However, women who do not strongly endorse masculine honor norms reported significantly less romantic interest in the aggressive male compared to an otherwise-equivalent non-aggressive male. These results suggest that the impact of honor values on relational patterns can begin as early as the initial attraction stage before any interaction occurs.