Who Wears the Pants? Gender Identity Norms and Intrahousehold Financial Decision-Making

72 Pages Posted: 4 Feb 2017 Last revised: 24 Feb 2021

See all articles by Da Ke

Da Ke

University of South Carolina - Department of Finance

Date Written: July 21, 2020

Abstract

Using microdata from U.S. household surveys, I document that families with a financially sophisticated husband are more likely to participate in the stock market than those with a wife of equal financial sophistication. This pattern is best explained by gender identity norms, which constrain women's influence over intrahousehold financial decision-making. A randomized controlled experiment reveals that female identity hinders idea contribution by the wife. These findings underscore the roles of intrahousehold bargaining and traditional norms in shaping household financial decisions.

Keywords: gender identity norms, intrahousehold financial decision-making, randomized controlled experiment, priming

JEL Classification: D10, G02, G11, J16

Suggested Citation

Ke, Da, Who Wears the Pants? Gender Identity Norms and Intrahousehold Financial Decision-Making (July 21, 2020). Journal of Finance, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2909720 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2909720

Da Ke (Contact Author)

University of South Carolina - Department of Finance ( email )

1014 Greene Street
Columbia, SC 29208
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.dakefinance.com

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