#caplan matrimonio
The College Premium vs. the Marriage Premium: A Case of Double Standards By Bryan Caplan
The College Premium vs. the Marriage Premium: A Case of Double Standards By Bryan Caplan
- For males, the college premium and the marriage premium are roughly equal. In the NLSY, for example, you earn 34% more if you're a college grad, and 44% more if you're a married male*:
- When people - economists and non-economists alike - look at the size of that college premium, they usually conclude that more people should go to college.
- personal level, that 44% premium doesn't lead them to urge men to marry. On a policy level, the 44%
- 1. You could point out that (a) married women earn 10% less,...But the male marriage bonus vastly exceeds... Indeed, the net premium for a couple almost exactly equals the college premium.
- 2. You could object that the marriage premium is largely selection.... But like the college premium...
- 3. You could object that men fail to marry despite the high premium because they would hate being married. But you can say the same about school:
- 4. You could object that encouraging marriage restricts people's freedom, but encouraging college doesn't . But this makes no sense.
- 5. You could say that education has positive externalities, but marriage doesn't.... externalities of marriage are far less debatable than the externalities of education.
continua
