This paper introduces the ''separate spheres'' bargaining model, a new
model of distribution within marriage. It differs from divorce threat
bargaining models (e.g., Manser-Brown, McElroy-Horney) in that the th
reat point is not divorce but a noncooperative equilibrium within marr
iage; this noncooperative equilibrium reflects traditional gender role
s. The predictions of our model thus differ from those of divorce thre
at bargaining models; in the separate spheres model, cash transfer pay
ments to the mother and payments to the father can-but need not-imply
different equilibrium distributions in existing marriages. In the long
run, the distributional effects of transfer policies may be substanti
ally altered by changes in the marriage market equilibrium.