A Theory of Marriage Formality: The Case of Guatemala

Registered domestic partnerships among gay men and lesbians: the role of economic factors

“…An employed person usually has a legal obligation to support his or her spouse financially, if necessary. • Signaling commitment: The willingness to marry is an important signal of commitment to a relationship (Grossbard-Shechtman 1982;Eskridge 1996), and it may underlie many other advantages of marriage. By agreeing to marry, each partner signals greater effort to maintain the relationship, a greater likelihood that the relationship will endure, and perhaps an agreement to make a fair settlement if, despite the good intentions of both individuals, the relationship should end.…”

“…Since we do not have direct measures of wealth in the CTUS, income will serve as a proxy for wealth. Alternatively, Grossbard-Shechtman (1982) argues that higher income men might be less likely to marry in heterosexual relationships. In her model, men have a choice of giving risk averse women a high formal commitment (marriage) and a smaller share of income or a combination of a lower level of commitment and a higher share of income.…”

Free to stay, free to leave: Insights from Poland into the meaning of cohabitation

“…Because the partners do not take the stability of the union for granted, they may work hard on a daily basis to make the relationship last. Thus, compared to married couples, cohabiting couples may invest more time, energy, and financial resources in the partnership (Drewianka 2004;Grossbard-Shechtman 1982;Grossbard-Shechtman 1993), and display emotional and physical affection and intimacy more frequently (Hsueh, Morrison, and Doss 2009).…”

The relationship between Civil Unions and fertility in France: Preliminary evidence

“…This paper characterizes PACS as a less binding, easier to break contract for cohabitation than marriage. Without explicitly addressing each of the characteristics of the PACS described in Appendix A, 9 it is perhaps useful to mention that previous studies have argued that the simple celebratory ceremony that takes place with marriage has the potential to assure higher stability than simple cohabitation, despite the specific legal obligations that it implies (Grossbard-Shechtman 1982). While the ceremonies surrounding the signing of PACS in France differ substantially, anecdotal evidence suggests that French couples regard it as some sort of ''half-marriage''.…”