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Differences in subjective well-being within households: An analysis of married and cohabiting couples in South Africa

African Review of Economics and Finance

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Title Differences in subjective well-being within households: An analysis of married and cohabiting couples in South Africa
 
Creator Casale, Daniela
 
Subject Happiness gaps, intra-household allocation, life satisfaction, subjective well-being
 
Description We investigate differences in subjective well-being (life satisfaction) within the household using matched data on co-resident couples drawn from the 2008 National Income Dynamics Study for South Africa. The majority of men and women in co-resident partnerships report different levels of subjective wellbeing. We use regression analysis first to explore the correlates of subjective well-being among women, and among men, who are married or cohabiting. We then estimate the predictors of within-couple differences in life satisfaction. Our results suggest that a number of correlates, related particularly to the roles and responsibilities of women and men in the household, differ by gender and also predict differences in subjective well-being within couples. For example, access to piped water on site increases the subjective well-being of women in comparison both to other married or cohabiting women and to the woman’s partner, but it does not account for differences in subjective well-being among married or cohabiting men. In contrast, the presence of young children in the household lowers the subjective well-being of women, while there is no such relationship for men. Furthermore, within couples, women’s relative satisfaction falls with the presence of young children in the household.Keywords: Happiness gaps, intra-household allocation, life satisfaction, subjectivewell-being
 
Publisher Rhodes University
 
Contributor —
 
Date 2016-05-24
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
Peer-reviewed Article
 
Format application/pdf
 
Identifier http://www.ajol.info/index.php/aref/article/view/136021
 
Source African Review of Economics and Finance; Vol 7, No 1 (2015); 32–52
2042-1478
 
Language eng
 
Relation http://www.ajol.info/index.php/aref/article/view/136021/125513
 
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