是否存在男性养家者规范？从婚姻市场结果推断偏好的风险

中文摘要

本文认为，夫妻收入差距的分布无法为男性养家者规范以及该规范对性别不平等的影响提供任何识别信息。首先，我们表明，简单的婚姻匹配模型——不包含与规范相关的假设——能够很好地复现美国夫妻收入差距的分布。其次，我们表明，当妻子收入开始超过丈夫时该分布中出现的不连续，反映的并非养家者规范，而是一组收入相等夫妇的点质量。最后，我们认为，该点质量也可能对男性养家者假说的其他检验构成威胁，并提出若干未来研究应当采用的稳健性检验。

Abstract

This paper argues that distributions of spousal earnings gaps provide no identifying information for the male breadwinner norm, nor such a norm's consequences for gender inequality. First, we show that simple marital matching models-without norm-related assumptions-closely replicate U.S. distributions of wife-husband earnings gaps. Second, we show that the discontinuity in this distribution as wives start to out-earn husbands reflects not breadwinner norms, but rather a point mass of equal-earning couples. We conclude by arguing that the point mass may also threaten other tests of the male breadwinner hypothesis, and proposing several robustness checks that future research should utilize.