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Do Marital Transitions Confound the Obesity Wage Gap?

Spirrison, Hannah
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http://hdl.handle.net/10267/33599
Abstract
Since 1980, the adult obesity rate has doubled in the United States; now over 72 million adults and over one-third of the adult population are obese. (CDC, 2009) Obesity not only comes with health consequences but possible labor market consequences as well. As of 1998, obese workers were paid approximately $1.20 an hour less than nonobese workers. Recognizing the variety of possible explanations for the wage differential, a new and growing literature has recently developed, focusing on factors such as productivity, self-esteem, genetics, and marriage market outcomes. This research seeks to enhance the obesity wage-gap literature related to marital status by specifically exploring transitions into and out of marriage for women. Obesity affects both marriage and divorce probabilities. If obese women are less likely to marry or more likely to divorce than nonobese women, obese women may devote more time and effort to labor market activity, increasing their expected wage due to work effort. If we ignore marriage transitions in estimating an obesity wage gap, our results may actually understate the true obesity wage gap.
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