Relative Income and Mental Health in Couples

Getik, Demid

Abstract

The share of couples where the wife out-earns the husband is increasing globally. In this paper, I examine how this dynamic affects mental health. Using data on the 2001 marital cohort in Sweden, I show that while mental health is positively associated with own and spousal income, it is negatively linked to the wife’s relative income. In the most conservative specification, the wife starting to earn more increases the likelihood of a mental health diagnosis by 8-11%. This represents a significant indirect cost of changes in family dynamics.

Citation

Getik, D. (2024). Relative Income and Mental Health in Couples. The Economic Journal, 134(664), 3291-3305. https://doi.org/10.1093/ej/ueae071

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 18, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Jul 23, 2024
• Publication Date: 2024-11
• Deposit Date: Jul 30, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 27, 2024
• Journal: The Economic Journal
• Print ISSN: 0013-0133
• Electronic ISSN: 1468-0297
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 134
• Issue: 664
• Pages: 3291-3305
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ej/ueae071
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2640504