title: Birth cohort and the specialization gap between same-sex and different-sex couples.
abstract: We examine differences in household specialization between same-sex and different-sex couples within and across three birth cohorts: Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y. Using three measures of household specialization, we find that same-sex couples are less likely than their different-sex counterparts to exhibit a high degree of specialization. However, the "specialization gap" between same-sex and different-sex couples narrows across birth cohorts. These findings are indicative of a cohort effect. Our results are largely robust to the inclusion of a control for the presence of children and for subsets of couples with and without children. We provide three potential explanations for why the specialization gap narrows across cohorts. First, different-sex couples from more recent birth cohorts may have become more like same-sex couples in terms of household specialization. Second, social and legal changes may have prompted a greater degree of specialization within same-sex couples relative to different-sex couples. Last, the advent of reproductive technologies, which made having children easier for same-sex couples from more recent birth cohorts, could result in more specialization in such couples relative to different-sex couples.
authors.affiliation: Department of Economics, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, La Crosse, WI, 54601, USA, lgiddings@uwlax.edu.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Giddings
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Nunley
authors.forename: Alyssa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schneebaum
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zietz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019352:Censuses; D015988:Cohort Effect; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D020010:Heterosexuality; D018452:Homosexuality, Female; D018451:Homosexuality, Male; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage; D008875:Middle Aged; D017059:Models, Econometric; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult