Religiosity and Investments in Spousal Productivity (with Shoshana Neuman)

Religiosity, defined as a set of personal attributes, skills, and preferences inspired or emphasized by religious ideology, ¹ is expressed in the form of (1) religious activities such as church attendance or observance of religious codes of behavior, and (2) purchase of religious goods and services. These religious activities and goods-hence defined as religion—can be analyzed as either consumption or investment. Religiosity is human capital to the extent that religion can be considered as an investment. For instance, religion can provide peace of mind and, consequently, lead to improved health, which in turn may lead to higher labor productivity on the job or in marriage (i.e. in labor and spousal labor, as defined in Chapter 3). Furthermore, religion can also be viewed as investment to the extent that engaging in religious activities today can improve individual satisfaction from such activities in the future.