Greenwood, JeremyGuner, Nezih2023-05-232023-05-232008-05-232008-05-23https://repository.upenn.edu/handle/20.500.14332/44307Since World War II there has been: (i) a rise in the fraction of time that married households allocate to market work, (ii) an increase in the rate of divorce, and (iii) a decline in the rate of marriage. It is argued here that labor-saving technological progress in the household sector can explain these facts. This makes it more feasible for singles to maintain their own home, and for married women to work. To address this question, a search model of marriage and divorce, which incorporates household production, is developed. An extension looks back at the prewar era.MarriageDivorceCohabitationDivorce ratesMarriage ratesMarital dissolutionMarital formationMarital partnersVital statisticsMarried householdsSingle householdsSingle lifeMarried lifeMarriage marketsHousehold sizeHousehold structureLiving arrangementsYoung adultsLeaving homeDecision to leave homeTechnological progressTechnological innovationWagesReal wagesHousehold consumptionMarket goodsNonmarket goodsHousehold productionHousehold maintenanceHours workedLabor supplyFemale labor force participationTime useHousehold allocationsHousehold decision makingDemography, Population, and EcologySocial and Behavioral SciencesSociologyWorking Paper