Abstract
Using the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) data, we examine the relationship between family decision-making power and women’s marital satisfaction. Interestingly, this paper reveals that overall, there is a negative association between women’s family decision-making power and marital satisfaction. However, some heterogeneities exist: the negative association is found among women with less education (income), and constrained by Confucian family ethics, but no association is found for women from higher socioeconomic backgrounds. Women from more traditional and economically disadvantaged backgrounds are conflicted by the prospect of breaking existing social norms designated for them. Therefore, when operating outside the traditional norms to become family decision-makers, their marital satisfaction is reduced.
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Notes
The coefficient of correlation between the wife’s physical appearance and her husband’s physical appearance is 0.995. To avoid the multicollinearity problem in regression equation, we do not control female physical appearance, instead, controlling the husband’s physical appearance. This is consistent with positive assortative matching in marriage.
We do not display the correlation matrix due to its large number of rows and columns. It can be provided on request at any time if readers are interested in the matrix.
Additionally, the T-test results indicate that there is no systematic difference between the treatment group and control group for the covariates after the PSM. The results are available upon request.
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Li, Z. Family Decision Making Power and Women’s Marital Satisfaction. J Fam Econ Iss 44, 568–583 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-022-09866-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-022-09866-9