Who Wears the Pants? Gender Identity Norms and Intrahousehold Financial Decision-Making
72 Pages Posted: 4 Feb 2017 Last revised: 24 Feb 2021
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: Suggested Citation