麻豆影院

CU-麻豆影院 research finds that working women wield more influence at home.

This spring,聽Karin Rutstein聽(IntlBus鈥�87) came home with a $180 wood veneer end table, a purchase she did not consider running by her husband before she bought it.

鈥淢y husband jokes that he doesn鈥檛 get to make any decisions,鈥� she says with a chuckle. 鈥淚 even had him assemble it.鈥�

It鈥檚 a scenario that wouldn鈥檛 necessarily surprise Francisca Antman, assistant professor of economics at CU-麻豆影院. This summer Antman released findings from a study that found that when married women work, they wield more decision-making power over household expenses 鈥� like buying a car, large appliances or furniture.

Specifically, Antman found that if a married woman had worked in the past 12 months, the likelihood of her involvement in decisions over major household purchases rose by about 5 percent. What鈥檚 more, the likelihood that her husband is the sole decision-maker for big buys fell by about 5 percent.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 so important because employment is the way that most women, by and large, are going to be able to improve their own situation,鈥� Antman says.

While this study 鈥� of households headed by men with female spouses 鈥� offers important insights into who makes decisions within husband-and-wife households, Antman says, 鈥渋deally we could learn more about how the decision-making process works within marriages and how it changes over time and in different contexts.鈥�

The topic appealed to Antman because some research shows that outcomes for children and women improve when women earn money, but until recently most studies hadn鈥檛 shown evidence of the mechanism behind these results, she explains.

鈥淢y paper shows that when women work, their bargaining power improves,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 consistent with economic theory and suggests a mechanism behind the results of previous studies.鈥�

Antman鈥檚 findings do not say that women who don鈥檛 work have no say in household decisions, 鈥渙nly that the data suggest that when women work, they are more likely to be involved in major decisions at home,鈥� she says.

Rutstein, the mother of an 11-year-old girl, works part-time for a marketing and public relations firm in Denver. She worked full-time until 2010.

鈥淲orking professionally definitely gives you confidence that translates into home life,鈥� Rutstein says. 鈥淚 think if someone feels as if they contribute to the household bottom line they also likely feel more entitled to make financial decisions rather than defer those decisions to the lone income producer.鈥�

While Antman says she鈥檚 not aware of research that shows a positive correlation between women鈥檚 economic self-sufficiency and their self-confidence, she cites some reasons why the female spouse has more decision-making power when she is employed outside the home.

鈥淚t could be that her husband grants her greater authority or that she commands it for a variety of reasons,鈥� Antman says.

Whenever it鈥檚 easier for women to work, just as men do, they often have greater influence within their households, she adds.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not just a question of increasing their income, but actually increasing their influence over their own lives,鈥� Antman says.

Illustration by Anna + Elena Balbusso