A Birth-Cohort Test of the Wilson-Willis Model of Out-of-Wedlock Childbearing
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Date
2010-02
Authors
Stone, Joe A.
Stockard, Jean
Gray, Jo Anna
Department of Economics, University of Oregon
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Univeristy of Oregon
Abstract
This paper offers the first birth-cohort test of the Wilson-Willis model of black-white differences
in nonmarital childbearing. Cohort data are uniquely suited to the model, and unlike prior
evidence, support the power of the model’s predictions: For blacks, the nonmarital birth share
rises, as predicted, with the ratio of female to male resources, but decreases for whites.
Similarly, the nonmarital birth share for blacks decreases with the ratio of eligible men to women
for blacks, as predicted, yet increases for whites. The model explains a majority of the racial
difference in nonmarital birth shares.
Description
18 pages
Keywords
race, marriage, fertility, education, human capital