TY - JOUR T1 - Making Big Decisions JF - Journal of Human Resources JO - J Hum Resour SP - 713 LP - 754 DO - 10.3368/jhr.59.1.0919-10429R1 VL - 58 IS - 3 AU - Susan Payne Carter AU - Abigail Wozniak Y1 - 2023/05/01 UR - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/58/3/713.abstract N2 - We use exogenously determined, long-distance relocations of U.S. Army soldiers to investigate the impact of moving on marriage. In an event study analysis, we find that marriage rates increase sharply around the time of a move. Reduced-form exposure analysis reveals that an additional move over a five-year period increases the likelihood of marriage by 14 percent, a magnitude similar to those in observational data on civilians. Moves increase childbearing by a similar magnitude, suggesting that marriages induced by a move are formed with long-term intentions. We explore implications of our findings for theories of marriage related to search, bargaining, and decision-making costs. ER -