Financial Matters and Affectionate Ties: Insights on Earnings in Relationships from a Recent Research Study
In a groundbreaking study published in the journal Research in Social Stratification and Mobility on November 22, 2024, Allison Dunatchik, assistant professor of sociology at the University of South Carolina, delved into the relationship between gender and finances in long-term marriages. The study, titled "His and Hers Earnings Trajectories: Economic Homogamy and Long-term Earnings Inequality within and between Different-Sex Couples," aimed to shed light on how economic fluctuations are subject to the social instabilities of each member.
The research analyzed the earnings of 5,354 heterosexual couples for no less than 30 years. The study found that contrary to popular belief, women did not abandon their careers after getting married. In fact, 55% of wives had stable earnings throughout their marriage, a significant contradiction to the general idea that women decrease their income after marriage.
The study identified several patterns in the earnings of these couples. The first pattern, called the Dual-earner partner, constituted approximately 50% of the total and was characterized by stable and equal earnings on the part of both members of the marriage. In this pattern, women had a great role in the domestic economy, showing that they were not only contributing financially but also maintaining a high and stable income.
The second pattern, representing about 6% of the couples analyzed, reported the model of Jointly mobile patterns, according to which both members of the couple experienced the same or similar fluctuations in their income over time. This pattern coincides with couple models in which the wife, before getting married, had a high educational and economic level.
The third pattern consisted of a Alternating earner pattern; That is, the husband and wife exchanged the position of the member with the most profits. This pattern was found in approximately 34% of cases, where the economically predominant figure was the man, while the woman was only the one who contributed the most in 5% of the cases.
The second pattern, the woman as the main breadwinner, was also found in about 60% of couples who present the dual-earner pattern (a situation where both members bring in similar gains). This finding challenges the traditional stereotype of the breadwinning husband and homemaker wife.
Interestingly, the study also found that 23% of men had unstable earnings, indicating that spouses do not tend to maintain a stable income throughout their married life.
Dunatchik's study also emphasized the importance of more economic studies from a gender perspective to clarify certain points related to gender diversity. As we move towards the so-called Generations Millennial and Z, which probably reflect various social, demographic, cultural, and economic changes, such research will be crucial in understanding the evolving dynamics of gender and finances.
- In the study, it was found that contrary to traditional stereotypes, women, in 60% of the dual-earner couples, also served as the main breadwinners, challenging the assumption of the breadwinning husband and homemaker wife.
- The third pattern identified in the study, the alternating earner pattern, was found in approximately 34% of cases where the economically predominant figure was the man, but in 5% of the cases, the woman was the one who contributed the most.
- The study highlighted the need for more economic research from a gender perspective, particularly as we move towards upcoming generations like Millennials and Z, to better understand the evolving dynamics of gender, finance, and lifestyle within business and relationship contexts.
