SSE/EFI Working Paper Series in Economics and Finance
No 631:
Specialization and Happiness: A U.S.-Japan Comparison
Hiroshi Ono ()
and Kristen Schultz Lee ()
Abstract: This paper examines the relationship between
specialization and happiness in marriage in the U.S. and Japan. Our
findings, based on the General Social Surveys in the U.S. and Japan,
indicate both similarities and differences in the determinants of marital
happiness in the two countries. In the U.S., the findings are mixed. Women
in the U.S. are more likely to embrace the bargaining model where their
happiness is determined by their own income. Men in the U.S. are more
likely to support the specialization model; they are happier if their wives
are not working or, alternatively, if they are financially dependent on
their wives. In Japan, we find support for the specialization model,
particularly in the case of women; they are happier if they are specialized
in the household and they have a higher household income. Our research
highlights how marital quality is affected by the institutional context and
the normative environment.
Keywords: gender; family; marital happiness; specialization; bargaining; (follow links to similar papers)
JEL-Codes: D13; J12; J16; (follow links to similar papers)
35 pages, May 1, 2006, Revised February 18, 2008
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- This paper is published as:
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Lee, Kristen Schultz and Hiroshi Ono, (2008), 'Specialization and Happiness in Marriage: A U.S.-Japan Comparison', Social Science Research, Vol. 37, December, No. 4, pages 1216-1234
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