Two Pair
Blurring the Marriage Market? Contemporary Patterns of Multiracial Marriage
Aaron Gullickson & Jenifer Bratter
Demography, April 2026, Pages 643-666
Abstract:
Research on interracial marriage has only begun to incorporate the growing mixed-race population. Using the 2010–2019 pooled American Community Survey, we explore the likelihood of a range of spousal pairings relative to racial endogamy for multiracial people while accounting for group size and controls for education, age, and immigration status. A distinguishing feature of marriage for multiracial individuals is the possibility of a partial overlap in racial identification -- having one component race in common with one's partner. We find that exact racial endogamy for many multiracial individuals is relatively quite high, once we adjust for group size, and that partial endogamy through overlap increases the likelihood of a union. Furthermore, partial overlap in racial identification between multiracial and monoracial partners reveals the importance of racial classification regimes determining how multiracial individuals are treated in the marriage market. We find no evidence of a general affinity among multiracial individuals who do not share racial ancestry or that multiracial individuals’ partner choices are less affected by race than the choices of monoracial individuals. These patterns have implications for the significance of established racial boundaries and the ongoing churning of racial categories, even as those categories become more ancestrally complex.
Partner preferences for resources adapt to income and gender economic inequality
Macken Murphy et al.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 24 March 2026
Abstract:
For over three decades, scholars have contested whether sex differences in ideal partner preferences for age, resources, and physical attractiveness result chiefly from evolution or cultural gender inequality. Here, we test a perspective compatible with each of these competing views: partner preferences for resources adapt strategically, such that they become stronger for the sex that is poorer and individuals who are poorer, as such preferences are more useful to these individuals. Our preregistered experiment placed 602 people from five countries in one of 45 virtual ecologies, varying participants’ personal income and their local gender economic inequality. Results show that people exhibit stronger ideal partner preferences for resources when they are poorer and when their sex is poorer. This pattern was evident in three different measures of stated partner preferences for resources, namely, ranked preferences and rated preferences for resource-relevant traits (e.g., whether a potential partner has a good job), and importance placed on dating or marrying up, financially. Preferences regarding age gaps were, surprisingly, unaffected, even though older age is associated with access to resources in naturally varying populations. Consistent with our theoretical perspective, which expects ideal partner preferences will adapt primarily to environmental variables that alter the fitness of those preferences, sex differences in stated preferences for physical attractiveness in romantic partners were largely unaffected. These results are discussed in the context of behavioral ecology, which offers a framework to interpret both our results and the mixed findings of past literature.
The Impact of Dating Apps on Young Adults: Evidence from Tinder
Berkeren Büyükeren, Alexey Makarin & Heyu Xiong
American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, April 2026, Pages 61-106
Abstract:
Online dating apps have transformed the dating market, yet their broader effects remain unclear. We study Tinder's impact on college students using its initial marketing focus on Greek organizations for identification. We show that the full-scale launch of Tinder led to a sharp, persistent increase in sexual activity, but with little corresponding impact on the formation of long-term relationships or relationship quality. Dating outcome inequality, especially among men, rose, alongside rates of sexual assault and STDs. However, despite these changes, Tinder's introduction did not worsen students' mental health on average and may have even led to improvements for female students.
Gender-Specific Economic Shocks and Household Bargaining Power
Rania Gihleb, Osea Giuntella & Dor Morag
NBER Working Paper, April 2026
Abstract:
Using machine learning and product-level data on single men’s and single women’s consumption patterns, we develop an index that quantifies the “gendered” nature of consumer goods. We use the index to investigate how gender-specific labor market shocks influence spending patterns within heterosexual households. Our findings reveal that industrial robot adoption, which worsened men’s relative economic position, shifted household consumption toward products predominantly purchased by single women. In contrast, the expansion of fracking, which boosted demand for young and less skilled men, yields suggestive but less robust evidence of increased spending on goods favored by single men. Although neither shock significantly altered total spending on children’s products, robot exposure led to a reallocation of spending toward goods more commonly purchased for daughters than for sons.
Balls and Strikes: The Effects on Domestic Violence
Kalvin Mudrow
Eastern Economic Journal, April 2026, Pages 367-390
Abstract:
This paper studies how salient emotional triggers affect domestic violence. Using pitch-by-pitch data from Major League Baseball and crime reports from the National Incident-Based Reporting System, I examine umpire inaccuracies as an exogenous source of emotionally charged frustration. I find that domestic violence reports increase following losses in games officiated by highly inaccurate umpires. The effect is concentrated among the most inaccurate umpires and is driven by missed calls that favor the opposing team. These results are robust across specifications and occur in the hours following a game.