GLP-1 drug use linked to higher marriage and employment rates in study
7 reported1 conflicting
A new study using data from the Understanding America Survey examines the social and economic effects of GLP-1 medications, which are known to produce large weight loss. The research compares women who started taking GLP-1 drugs for weight loss with a matched group of women who wanted to start but had not yet done so. After six or more quarters, single women using the drugs saw their marriage or cohabitation rates rise by 29 percentage points, and employment among women who were not working at the start increased by 27 percentage points. The study found that existing partnerships did not dissolve, and women who were already employed showed no upward job mobility. The author, Rebecca Diamond, suggests that part of the obesity penalty for women operates at the stage of forming new relationships rather than only through health or productivity. The source notes that not everyone believes the size of these estimates.
What’s reported
The study uses data from the Understanding America Survey.
It compares women starting GLP-1s for weight loss with matched women who would like to start but have not.
Single women’s marriage/cohabitation rates rose by 29 percentage points after six or more quarters.
Employment among baseline non-employed women rose 27 percentage points after six or more quarters.
Existing partnerships did not dissolve.
Already-employed women showed no upward job mobility.
The paper is by Rebecca Diamond.
Conflicting accounts
The source article notes that not everyone believes the size of these estimates.
Key figures
Rebecca Diamond (author of the paper)
Sources: marginalrevolution.com
