I look at the effects of making the exit costs of cohabitation as high as divorce on new and existing partnerships. I … exploit the Family Law Amendment Act, introduced in Australia in 2008, as an exogenous shock to the cost of exiting … cohabitation. This law defines cohabiting partnerships as de facto relationships and makes the termination of a de facto …

among the decisions on marriage, fertility and divorce. …

are more likely to report specializing on other tasks as well. Given the role couples have in family formation and the …

cohabitation. An excess supply of men who prefer marriage not only reduces the marriage incentives of men and raises those of women … marry or cohabitate. Marriage encourages but does not ensure a higher level of spousal commitment, which in turn can … prefer to act with commitment in marriage are matched with someone who has the same preference. In such an equilibrium, the …

the legal costs of divorce, on the interrelationships among the decisions on marriage, fertility and divorce. …