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Marriage as insurance: job protection and job insecurity in France

Author

Listed:
  • Andrew E. Clark

    (Paris School of Economics—CNRS)

  • Conchita D’Ambrosio

    (University of Luxembourg)

  • Anthony Lepinteur

    (University of Luxembourg)

Abstract

Job insecurity is one of the risks that workers face on the labour market. As with any risk, individuals can choose to insure against it, and we here consider marriage as one potential source of this insurance. The 1999 rise in the French Delalande tax, paid by larger private firms when they laid off workers aged 50 or over, led to an exogenous rise in job insecurity for the uncovered (younger workers) in these larger firms. A difference-in-differences analysis using French panel data reveals that this greater job insecurity for the under-50s led to a significant rise in their probability of marriage, and especially when the partner had greater job security, consistent with marriage providing insurance against labour-market risk.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrew E. Clark & Conchita D’Ambrosio & Anthony Lepinteur, 2023. "Marriage as insurance: job protection and job insecurity in France," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 21(4), pages 1157-1190, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:reveho:v:21:y:2023:i:4:d:10.1007_s11150-022-09635-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s11150-022-09635-5
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    Cited by:

    1. Conchita D’Ambrosio & Andrew E. Clark & Rémi Yin, 2023. "Economic Insecurity and Health," Hacienda Pública Española / Review of Public Economics, IEF, vol. 247(4), pages 69-89, December.
    2. Anthony Lepinteur, 2021. "The asymmetric experience of gains and losses in job security on health," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(9), pages 2217-2229, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Marriage; Insurance; Employment protection; Difference-in-differences;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J18 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Public Policy

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