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Abstract

We use data from the earlier and later cohorts of the NLSY to estimate the effect of marriage and childbearing on wages.Our estimates imply that marriage lowers female wages 2-4 percent in the year of marriage.Marriage also lowers the wage growth of men and women by about two and four percentage points, respectively.A first birth lowers female wages 2-3 percent, but has no effect on wage growth.Male wages are unaffected by childbearing.These findings suggest that early marriage and childbearing can lead to substantial decreases in lifetime earnings.1 Statistics on marital status are derived from the 1976 and 2004 March demographic supplements to the Current Population Survey (CPS).Statistics on live births come from published tables of the U.S. Census that employ the June fertility and marriage supplements to the CPS (see Table H1 available at http:// www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/fertility.html).

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