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The Sex Ratio And The Out-Of-Wedlock Birth Rate In The United States During World War Ii, Robert E. Mccormick, Melissa M. Yeoh, Mason S. Gerety

Robert E McCormick

This paper provides a theoretical economic framework to study the effects of changes in the sex ratio on the out-of-wedlock birth rate in the United States. We model the demanders and suppliers of sexual relations as potential mates and the relative "price" of human sexual relations as the promises implicit within a traditional marriage (marriage, fidelity, wealth transfers, child support, etc.). We examine an instrument for the implicit "price" of sexual relations, namely the out-of-wedlock birth rate. We show that the reduction in the number of available sex partners for women during World War II decreased the "price" - in …