The New Battle of the Sexes: A 2 X 2 Model of Female Alienation

Abstract

We examine a simple game in which males and females have different preferences over sex and children, and gender-biased asymmetric strategies. We attempt to characterize the fundamental tradeoffs in a static game of complete information. We find that plausible differences in preferences can account for observed time-trends in the so-called happiness gender gap, following the introduction of a single technology which may prevent conception and yields no dis-utility to men. The model suggests that men may have benefitted more than women from the introduction of the Pill, and raises the question of whether alternative forms of family planning might better equalize the relative positions of men and women in sexual partnerships. These findings have particular relevance for feminist critiques of the sexual revolution.