Measuring the effects of Obergefell v. Hodges : Revisiting same‐sex marriage legalization and mortgage demand
利用全美抵押贷款申请数据，采用双重差分法估计2015年最高法院同性婚姻合法化裁决对同性伴侣抵押贷款需求的影响，发现裁决使此前未合法州的同性伴侣贷款需求相对增加12%，已合法州也增加15%，且女同性恋伴侣效应更大。
Abstract The U.S. Supreme Court's 2015 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges made same‐sex marriage legal in all states. We estimate the effect of this landmark ruling on the mortgage demand of same‐sex couples. Using data on the near universe of mortgage applications, we employ a difference‐in‐differences estimation strategy that compares the mortgage demand from same‐sex and different‐sex couples, before and after the ruling. We find that the ruling increased the mortgage demand from same‐sex couples relative to different‐sex couples by 12% in states where same‐sex marriage was previously unavailable. Interestingly, we also estimate a 15% increase in the mortgage demand of same‐sex couples in states that had already legalized same‐sex marriage prior to the ruling. This suggests that the federal Supreme Court ruling brought greater certainty to same‐sex couples, even in states where same‐sex marriage was already legal. Additionally, we find that the effects were significantly larger for same‐sex female couples compared to same‐sex male couples, consistent with prior literature documenting higher marriage take‐up among women in same‐sex relationships. Our results emphasize the importance of federal Supreme Court rulings over and above similar state‐level legislation in shaping outcomes of vulnerable populations.