Perceived and Elicited Valuation of Partner Attributes in the Marriage Market

Last registered on June 03, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Perceived and Elicited Valuation of Partner Attributes in the Marriage Market
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0018695
Initial registration date
May 25, 2026

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
June 03, 2026, 8:28 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

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Primary Investigator

Name
Chihiro Inoue
Affiliation
Kobe University
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Yusuke Ishihata
PI Affiliation
Duke University
PI Name
Ryota Mugiyama
PI Affiliation
Gakushuin University
PI Name
Haruki Sugimoto
PI Affiliation
Princeton University
PI Name
Fumiya Uchikoshi
PI Affiliation
Harvard University

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-10-01
End date
2026-10-31
Keywords
Gender, Labor
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study examines how men and women evaluate potential marriage partners and whether they hold systematically biased beliefs about how they themselves are evaluated in the marriage market. In particular, the study examines the marriage-market value of two attributes that are central to household formation but are less aligned with conventional gendered partner-role expectations: men’s contributions to housework and childcare, and women’s earnings.

Using an online survey experiment, we elicit respondents’ evaluations of hypothetical potential opposite-sex partners with experimentally varied characteristics. In addition, we measure respondents’ beliefs about how members of the opposite sex evaluate hypothetical partners of the same sex as the respondents, and collect respondents’ own characteristics. This design allows us to construct predicted measures of respondents’ value as potential partners, based on their observed characteristics and estimated preference parameters.

The primary outcomes are respondents’ stated evaluations of hypothetical opposite-sex partners and their beliefs about how hypothetical opposite-sex individuals evaluate hypothetical own-sex partners. The study tests whether men underestimate the value that potential partners place on men’s housework and childcare time and whether women underestimate the value that potential partners place on women’s income. We can also compare the respondents' perceived own value as potential partners relative to evaluations by the opposite sex, based on their observed characteristics and estimated preference parameters. The results will provide evidence on gendered misperceptions in the marriage market and their potential role in shaping partner search, matching, and household formation.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Inoue, Chihiro et al. 2026. "Perceived and Elicited Valuation of Partner Attributes in the Marriage Market." AEA RCT Registry. June 03. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.18695-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2026-10-01
Intervention End Date
2026-10-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Respondents’ own evaluations of opposite-sex profiles
Respondents’ beliefs about opposite-sex evaluations of own-sex profiles
Predicted partner-value measures under estimated opposite-sex evaluations and belief-based evaluations
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
The first primary outcome is respondents’ own evaluation of hypothetical opposite-sex profiles, measured by their reported interest in considering each person as a potential marriage partner and willingness to meet the person. The second primary outcome is respondents’ belief about how hypothetical opposite-sex individuals would evaluate hypothetical own-sex profiles. For male respondents, this consists of evaluations of female profiles and predictions of how female profiles would evaluate male profiles. For female respondents, this consists of evaluations of male profiles and predictions of how male profiles would evaluate female profiles. These outcomes will be used to estimate actual opposite-sex valuations and belief-based valuations of partner attributes.
We will also use respondents’ own observed characteristics to construct predicted partner-value measures under estimated opposite-sex evaluations and belief-based evaluations.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We conduct an online survey experiment with unmarried adult respondents aged 25–29 in Japan. Respondents evaluate experimentally varied hypothetical opposite-sex profiles and report their interest in considering each person as a potential marriage partner and willingness to meet the partner. Respondents also predict how hypothetical opposite-sex individuals would evaluate hypothetical own-sex profiles. Thus, male respondents evaluate female profiles and predict how each female profile would evaluate male profiles, while female respondents evaluate male profiles and predict how each male profile would evaluate female profiles.

Profiles vary randomly along characteristics relevant for partner choice, including income, housework and childcare time, and other demographic and socioeconomic attributes. The design allows us to estimate the marriage-market value of men’s housework and childcare time and women’s income, and to compare these evaluations with respondents’ beliefs about opposite-sex evaluations. These comparisons are used to study whether men and women systematically misperceive the value of these attributes, as well as their predicted value as potential partners.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization is implemented by a computer as part of the online survey platform.
Partner profile attributes are randomly assigned by the survey software according to a pre-specified randomization procedure.
Randomization Unit
Randomization occurs at the respondent-profile level.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
1000 unmarried men and 1000 unmarried women aged 25-29
Sample size: planned number of observations
Each male respondent will evaluate 10 female profiles, so the number of male-to-female evaluation observations will be 10 times the number of male respondents. In addition, each male respondent will predict evaluations by a hypothetical woman of 10 male profiles. The analogous design applies to female respondents.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
The experiment uses randomized profile attributes. Each respondent evaluates multiple profiles, and the randomized attributes vary across profiles, and there is no pure control group. Across the full sample, profile observations are designed to be approximately evenly distributed across the pre-specified combinations or levels of randomized attributes.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IRB Approval Date
IRB Approval Number
Analysis Plan