This paper investigates the effect of relative income on marriage. Accounting flexibly for absolute income, the ratio between a man's income and a local reference group median is a strong predictor of marital status, but only for low-income men. Relative income affects marriage even among those living with a partner. A 10 percent higher reference…

This article examines the personal savings rates required to provide an average worker with adequate retirement funds. The influence of (1) various definitions of adequacy, (2) inflation, and (3) economic growth on the magnitude of the retirement preparation task are examined. With this perspective, the current roles played by the social security…

Survey data from the United States, Brazil, and Ghana revealed that, in all three, mothers' education had a greater effect on daughters' height, fathers' education on sons' height. There appear to be differences in the allocation of household resources, nutrition, and child rearing that are dependent on children's and parents' gender. (SK)