16. Februar 2011

SOEP Brown Bag Seminar

SOEP Brown Bag Seminar: Power within couples: What factors and transitions affect power?
Power within couples: What factors and transitions affect power?

Termin

16. Februar 2011
12:30 - 13:30

Ort

Gustav-Schmoller-Raum
DIW Berlin im Quartier 110
Room 3.3.002A
Mohrenstraße 58
10117 Berlin

Yvonne Lott (DIW Berlin and BIGSSS, Bremen)

Social inequality within the family is a crucial dimension of inequality in the wider society. Power imbalances between partners are linked with intra-family inequality. Surprisingly, power has mostly been neglected in German research so far. First goal of this study, therefore, is to get an idea about what factors are related to power. Rational choice theories as well as gender theory provide explanations for who has power and who doesn't. Furthermore, recent studies on power within intimate relationships mainly treat power as a static concept rather than a dynamic process. Since social relationships change during individuals’ lives, power also changes over partners’ life-courses. Given that transitions such as marriage, children and changes of employment status highly influence and shape the lives of individuals, these transitions might also have an impact on couples’ power. The second goal of this study is the analysis of the relationship between marriage, children and changes of employment status and power within couples. Power is measured on two dimensions: (1) control over financial resources and (2) financial decision-making. The analysis is based on the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP) in 2004, 2005 and 2008.  Results show that individual income is strongest related to power, but that gender differences also exist with regard to the division of labor and household income. Furthermore, marriage and children increase cooperation in couples. Interestingly, changes to a lower employment status decrease especially female partners' power.. 

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