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RELATIVE INCOME AND MENTAL HEALTH IN COUPLES

Getik, Demid LU (2024) In Economic Journal 134(664). p.3291-3305
Abstract

The share of couples where the wife outearns the husband is increasing globally. In this paper, I examine how this dynamic affects mental health. Using data on the 2001 marital cohort in Sweden, I show that while mental health is positively associated with own and spousal income, it is negatively linked to the wife’s relative income. In the most conservative specification, the wife starting to earn more increases the likelihood of a mental health diagnosis by 8%–11%. This represents a significant indirect cost of changes in family dynamics.

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author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Economic Journal
volume
134
issue
664
pages
15 pages
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • scopus:85208954659
ISSN
0013-0133
DOI
10.1093/ej/ueae071
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
22895abd-615e-49ba-84a1-62056c12fc85
date added to LUP
2025-01-15 13:07:27
date last changed
2025-04-04 14:06:25
@article{22895abd-615e-49ba-84a1-62056c12fc85,
  abstract     = {{<p>The share of couples where the wife outearns the husband is increasing globally. In this paper, I examine how this dynamic affects mental health. Using data on the 2001 marital cohort in Sweden, I show that while mental health is positively associated with own and spousal income, it is negatively linked to the wife’s relative income. In the most conservative specification, the wife starting to earn more increases the likelihood of a mental health diagnosis by 8%–11%. This represents a significant indirect cost of changes in family dynamics.</p>}},
  author       = {{Getik, Demid}},
  issn         = {{0013-0133}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{11}},
  number       = {{664}},
  pages        = {{3291--3305}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Economic Journal}},
  title        = {{RELATIVE INCOME AND MENTAL HEALTH IN COUPLES}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ej/ueae071}},
  doi          = {{10.1093/ej/ueae071}},
  volume       = {{134}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}