Preference for Traditional Gender Norms and Spouses’ Subjective Well-Being

Using microdata collected from the JHPS and the KHPS, this study examines the relation between married couples’ relative incomes and their respective reports of subjective well-being. The sampled data were divided into four groups according to the husbands’ and wives’ income patterns. Estimation results revealed that, in a scenario where traditional gender norms are maintained, a wife with higher potential income than her husband is less likely to be happy and less satisfied with life overall and household finances. The results also showed that a wife who realized her high wage potential was more likely to report unhappiness and low life satisfaction than a wife who earned less than her husband based on the traditional gender role, although they showed no dissatisfaction with household finances.

Keywords: breadwinner; gender norms; household labor; satisfaction; subjective well-being

Recommended citation: Li, W. (2024). "Preference for Traditional Gender Norms and Spouses' Subjective Well-Being." Studies in Applied Economics, 16, 1-17.
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