Who wears the trousers? A semiparametric analysis of decision power in couples
Inhalt
Decision processes among couples depend on the balance of power between
the partners, determining the welfare of household members as well as household
outcomes. However, little is known about the determinants of power. The collective
model of household behavior gives an operational definition of decision
power. We argue that important aspects of this concept of power are measurable
through self-assessments of partners’ say. Using such a measure, we model balance
of power as an outcome of the interplay between both partners’ demographic,
socioeconomic, and health characteristics. Advancing flexible, yet parsimonious
empirical models is crucial for the analysis, as both absolute status as well as
relative position in the couple might potentially affect the balance of power, and
gender-asymmetries may be important. Appropriately, we advance semiparametric
double index models that feature one separate index for each spouse, which
interact nonparametrically in the determination of power.
Based on data from the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS), we find education
and employment status to be associated with more individual decision power,
especially for women. Moreover, health and income have independent effects on
the distribution of power. We also show that contextual factors are important
determinants of decision power, with women in urban couples featuring more decision
power than their rural counterparts.
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