Elusive Independence in a Context of Gender Equality in Sweden

Nyman, Charlott; Reinikainen, Lasse

doi:10.1057/9780230582774_4

Cited by 21 publications

(22 citation statements)

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“…Although the marriage contract requires financial support of spouses and presumes treatment of the family as a single economic unit, people earn money in the labor market as individuals (Burgoyne, 1990;Burgoyne & Lewis, 1994;Nyman & Reinikainen, 2007). Even when income is thought of as a collective resource (as is legally enforceable in the case of marriage), partners remain cognizant of how money is earned and engage in mental accounting-earmarking and distinguishing between different kinds of money (Barlow, 2008;Burgoyne, 1990;Burgoyne, Clarke, Reibstein, & Edmunds, 2006;Burgoyne & Lewis, 1994).…”

Section: Equality and Gendermentioning

confidence: 99%

Beliefs About Money in Families: Balancing Unity, Autonomy, and Gender Equality

Pepin

2019

J of Marriage and Family

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Objective: This study provides the first nationally representative data on U.S. adults' perceptions of income sharing within families. Background: Modern couples confront tensions between ideals of mutual interests and values of economic autonomy, a departure from fitting themselves into culturally expected family arrangements of the past. This study teases apart the conditions under which people might prioritize one cultural value over another. Method: The author conducted a nationally representative survey experiment (N = 3,986 individuals). The respondents selected an income allocation arrangement for a fictional couple with varied relationships investments (i.e., marriage, parenthood, length of relationship) and earning disparities. Results: Although stronger relationship investments were associated with greater support for sharing all income, the most commonly selected income allocation arrangement was a hybrid arrangement of sharing some income and keeping the rest separate. When respondents preferred some amount of financial autonomy, the primary earner was expected to maintain ownership of a greater amount of the total household income. The preferred level of withholding income was slightly larger in magnitude when women were shown as the primary earner when compared with men shown as the primary earner. Conclusion: The pursuit of economic autonomy, in combination with beliefs about gender, are important dimensions of gender inequality located within families.

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Section: Equality and Gendermentioning

confidence: 99%

Beliefs About Money in Families: Balancing Unity, Autonomy, and Gender Equality

Pepin

2019

J of Marriage and Family

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Section: Family Unity Versus Economic Autonomymentioning

confidence: 99%

Normative Beliefs about Money in Families: Balancing Togetherness, Autonomy, and Equality

Pepin¹

2018

Preprint

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Using original data from a nationally representative vignette-survey experiment (n = 3,986), this study investigated beliefs about income sharing within families. Respondents selected an income allocation strategy for a fictional couple with varied circumstances. Findings showed widespread support for collectivist approaches to money. Nearly 70% of respondents preferred some level of financial integration for married and cohabiting couples alike. Still, the majority of respondents indicated all couples should pursue some level of autonomy within their relationships. Respondents also believed higher-earning partners ought to hold back a greater absolute value of their income, potentially reproducing unequal labor market conditions within families. When women were presented as the primary earner, the preferred level of withholding income was slightly larger in magnitude than when men were shown as the primary earner. Findings suggest the pursuit of financial autonomy, in combination with attitudes about gender, are important dimensions to further understanding inequality in families.

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“…A second gender-related finding, which is also in line with literature on married and cohabiting couples (Nyman & Reinikainen, 2007), concerns the explicit female emphasis on full economic independence and equality, although the women seldom achieved such a state in practice. Only a small group of women in permanent LAT partnerships maintained completely separate purses and contributed equally to joint expenses, regardless of their level of income.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

“…It is interesting that, despite their emphasis on economic independence and equality, the LAT women tended to contribute less and provide domestic services in return for the financial contributions of their partners. This incongruity between LAT women's expressed ideals and their actual (financial) behavior indicates that, as other studies have also shown (Nyman, 2008;Nyman & Reinikainen, 2007), deeply rooted traditions concerning gender roles and normative images of couple relationships remain important factors determining the ways in which couples organize their everyday lives, even in nontraditional partnerships. This is particularly applicable to couples in which the woman has the smaller income, thus suggesting that, if the basic requirements for realizing the modern ideals of independence and equality have not been fulfilled (in whole or in part), women in LAT relationships have limited scope for moving beyond the traditional gender order.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Many regard money from welfare‐state transfers or as compensation for work as “impersonal.” The recipients have already fulfilled the obligations that come along this kind of money. In contrast, personal money (e.g., money from a partner) often carries some type of expectation regarding future behavior, possibly generating feelings of dependence and loss of freedom (Nyman & Reinikainen, ). One common way of defining money is in terms of ownership.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Living Apart Together and Money: New Partnerships, Traditional Gender Roles

Lyssens-Danneboom

Mortelmans

2014

J of Marriage and Family

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Drawing on qualitative interview data from a sample of 54 men and women engaged in living apart together (LAT) partnerships in Belgium (Flanders), this study explored the organization and exchange of money in LAT arrangements. The data showed that the heterogeneity of LAT partnerships is reflected in couples' monetary behavior, with couples who foresee cohabitation (transitional LATs) showing more marriage‐like exchanges of financial support than those who perceive living apart together as a more permanent arrangement (permanent LATs). The economic position of the partners and the importance attached to economic independence and breadwinning mediate the impact of future expectations on the financial practices of LAT couples. The data also showed that traditional notions of gender and coupledom continue to be strongly influential, even in nontraditional types of partnerships.

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Elusive Independence in a Context of Gender Equality in Sweden

Cited by 21 publications

References 0 publications

Beliefs About Money in Families: Balancing Unity, Autonomy, and Gender Equality

Beliefs About Money in Families: Balancing Unity, Autonomy, and Gender Equality

Normative Beliefs about Money in Families: Balancing Togetherness, Autonomy, and Equality

Living Apart Together and Money: New Partnerships, Traditional Gender Roles

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