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Health shocks and spousal labor supply: an international perspective

Author

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  • Nicholas A. Jolly

    (Marquette University)

  • Nikolaos Theodoropoulos

    (University of Cyprus)

Abstract

This paper uses data from the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe to analyze the effect of spousal health shocks on own labor supply decisions. The results suggest minimal changes to the probability of work and the intensity of work for both husbands and wives of disabled spouses. Wives do, however, experience an increase in the probability of retirement after their husbands experience a work-limiting health shock. The results suggest that this increased probability is due to the desire to consume joint leisure. Finally, the analysis finds substantial cross-regional heterogeneity in the effects that spousal health shocks have on the various labor market outcomes examined here, which suggests an important role for country-specific factors in the estimates provided in the earlier literature.

Suggested Citation

  • Nicholas A. Jolly & Nikolaos Theodoropoulos, 2023. "Health shocks and spousal labor supply: an international perspective," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 36(2), pages 973-1004, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:jopoec:v:36:y:2023:i:2:d:10.1007_s00148-022-00929-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s00148-022-00929-7
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Connolly, Laura E. & Jolly, Nicholas A., 2024. "Temporal Changes to the Added Worker Effect Associated with Spousal Job Loss," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1454, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    2. Böckerman, Petri & Kortelainen, Mika & Salokangas, Henri & Vaalavuo, Maria, 2023. "Family Affair? Long-Term Economic and Mental Effects of Spousal Cancer," IZA Discussion Papers 16005, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Pinna Pintor, Matteo & Fumagalli, Elena & Suhrcke, Marc, 2024. "The impact of health on labour market outcomes: A rapid systematic review," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    4. Marie Blaise & Sandrine Juin & Hélène Le Forner & Quitterie Roquebert, 2024. "I care, you clean? Gendered effects of informal care on couple housework and leisure time," LISER Working Paper Series 2024-05, Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER).
    5. Mario Bernasconi & Tunga Kantarcı & Arthur Soest & Jan-Maarten Sonsbeek, 2024. "The added worker effect: evidence from a disability insurance reform," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 22(4), pages 1275-1316, December.
    6. Theodoropoulos, Nikolaos & Voucharas, Georgios, 2023. "Firm Closures and Labor Market Policies in Europe: Evidence from Retrospective Longitudinal Data," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1288, Global Labor Organization (GLO).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Health shocks; Marriage; Labor supply;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General
    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply

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