Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP15632
Authors: Shuai Chen; Jan C. van Ours
Abstract: Sexual minorities have had worse than average mental health, which may have to do with actual or perceived discrimination. Same-sex marriage legalization (SSML) is a typical anti-discrimination policy removing marital restrictions for sexual minorities. We study how this legislation affected mental health of sexual minorities in the Netherlands. Conducting a difference-in-differences analysis, we comparechanges in mental health following the legalization between sexual minorities and heterosexuals. We fi nd that SSML improved mental health of both married and non-married sexual minorities, which implies that marriage is not the only channel. Examinations of alternative mechanisms combined with literature suggest that the legislation may also take effect by improving societal tolerance as well as stabilizing partnerships and enriching the choice basket of partnership forms for sexual minorities.
Keywords: same-sex marriage; mental health; sexual minorities
JEL Codes: I12; I18; J12; J15; K36
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Same-Sex Marriage Legalization (SSML) (K36) | Mental Health of Sexual Minorities (I19) |
| Mental Health of Sexual Minorities (I19) | Gap in Mental Health Between Sexual Minorities and Heterosexuals (I14) |
| Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage (SSML) (K36) | Depression and Anxiety Among Sexual Minorities (J15) |
| Marriage (J12) | Mental Health Benefits for Married Sexual Minorities (J12) |
| Non-Married Sexual Minorities (J12) | Improvements in Mental Health (I19) |
| Societal Attitudes Towards Sexual Minorities (J15) | Mental Health Gains (I19) |
| Partnership Stability (J12) | Mental Health Gains (I19) |