Working Papers 

"Racial Sorting in the US Marriage Market: Evolution and Welfare Implications" 

Presentations: SEA - Structural Applied Micro 2023, SOLE 2024, CEA 2024 

Abstract:  Interracial marriage has steadily increased in the US, indicating positive progress toward social integration. Nevertheless, this progress has been uneven across different social groups, with notable gender disparities among Blacks and Asians. This paper analyzes how the marital welfare of different social groups is shaped by changing marital gains related to interracial marriage and changing population composition. Using a structural model of marriage market equilibrium, I first show that marital gains from interracial marriage have improved only for some pairs, revealing substantial gender and education gaps. I then show that these disparities in marital gains, along with the demographic composition, have improved marriage prospects and welfare for some groups (e.g. college-educated Black men) while limiting others’ (e.g. Black women). Using the estimated model, I uncover the complex ways through which changing marital gains and population have shaped uneven marital welfare through equilibrium channels. In particular, I find that the evolving gender disparities in marital surplus associated with interracial marriage contributed to the gender gaps in marital welfare among Black men and women. In contrast, the sex ratio imbalances played a more substantial role for White men’s and women’s marital welfare. Lastly, I show that in the absence of the gender gaps in racial preferences in marriage, particularly in the direction of stronger racial integration, marital prospects for all would improve. 

"Juggling Priorities: Women's Labor Market Opportunities and Household Consumption" (with So Yoon Ahn) - Reject & resubmit at  Journal of Human Resources

Presentations: AASLE 2021, SEHO 2022, Leuven Summer Event - Labor/Family Economics 2022, SOLE 2023, Nebraska Labor Summit

Abstract: How do women’s relative labor market opportunities affect household consumption for married couples? While higher potential wages can enhance women’s bargaining power, shifting consumption toward their preferences, they may increase work hours, altering time constraints and spending. Using exogenous gender-specific wages and scanner data, we find higher female-relative wages increase spending on convenience foods and decrease spending on fresh produce, contributing to higher obesity rates. This is primarily driven by women's time reallocation, given their disproportionate domestic responsibilities. Our findings suggest that the impacts of earned female income may differ from those of unearned income found in previous studies.

"Preference Heterogeneity versus Economic Incentives: What Determines the Choice to Give Care?" (with Daniel Barczyk and Matthias Kredler)