SOCIAL CHANGE: THE SEXUAL REVOLUTION* |
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| Authors: | Jeremy Greenwood Nezih Guner |
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| Affiliation: | 1. University of Pennsylvania, U.S.A.;2. ICREA‐MOVE, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona and Barcelona GSE, Spain;3. The authors thank Effrosyni Adamopoulou, Asen Kochov, Tae Suk Lee, and two referees for advice and help. Greenwood and Guner (2009b) provides some additional material on the characterization of the law of motion for the type distributions, the Markov chain used to calculate the number of partners, the numerical algorithm employed to solve the model, and an extension about the frequency of sex. Nezih Guner acknowledges the support of the Barcelona GSE Research Network and of the Government of Catalonia. Please address correspondence to: Nezih Guner, MOVE, Facultat d'Economia, Edifici B–Campus de Bellaterra, 08193 Bellaterra, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain. Phone: +34‐95‐581‐3068. Fax: +34‐93‐51‐2012. E‐mail: . |
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| Abstract: | In 1900 only 6% of unwed teenage females engaged in premarital sex. Now, three quarters do. The sexual revolution is studied here using an equilibrium matching model, where the costs of premarital sex fall over time due to technological improvement in contraceptives. Individuals differ in their desire for sex. Given this, people tend to circulate in social groups where prospective partners share their views on premarital sex. To the extent that society's customs and mores reflect the aggregation of decentralized decision making by its members, shifts in the economic environment may induce changes in what is perceived as culture. |
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