The Lasting Effect of Sex Ratio Imbalance on Marriage and Family: Evidence from World War II in Russia
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چکیده
The Lasting Effect of Sex Ratio Imbalance on Marriage and Family: Evidence from World War II in Russia* How does a shock to sex ratios affect marriage markets and fertility? I use the drastic change in sex ratios caused by World War II to identify the effects of unbalanced sex ratios on Russian women. Using unique data from the Soviet archives, the results indicate that male scarcity led to lower rates of marriage and fertility, higher nonmarital births and reduced bargaining power within marriage for women most affected by war deaths. The impact of sex ratio imbalance on marriage and family persisted for years after the war’s end, and was likely magnified by policies that promoted nonmarital births and discouraged divorce. JEL Classification: J12, J16, N34, P23
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Uncounted Costs of World War II: The Effect of Changing Sex Ratios on Marriage and Fertility of Russian Women
The Soviet Union suffered devastating population losses during World War II, currently estimated at 27 million or nearly 14 percent of the prewar population. The disproportionate deaths of young men resulted in a drastic change in sex ratios among the population surviving the war. For example, the ratio of men to women in the 20-29 age group declined from .91 to .65 between 1941 and 1946. I use...
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