The more money a woman earns, the more the risk of separation increases, according to an INED study

Couples in which the woman earns more than her male partner are more likely to separate, according to a study by the National Institute of Demographic Studies, published Monday.

Do income differences within the couple increase the risk of separation? For the first time, a study by INED (National Institute of Demographic Studies), published Monday September 30, looks at the subject.

It is increasingly the case that women have a higher income than their male partners. This was the case in a quarter of heterosexual couples of working age in 2017. A figure that is increasing: it was one in five in 2002. This is the consequence, in particular, of the progression in the level of education of women and their emancipation.

It is precisely when the woman earns more than her partner, and only in this sense, that the risk of separation is greatest. If the lady’s income exceeds 55% of the couple’s total income. The risk of breakup is at least 11% higher compared to couples whose income is equally distributed. A risk which increases by up to 40% depending on the extent of the woman’s contribution, reports the INED study.

Income gaps influence each type of union differently. Among civil partnership couples, the association between income gaps and the risk of separation is less marked. For common-law couples, relatively equal income sharing seems to strengthen the stability of the union. On the other hand, in married couples, stability is greater when the man is the main financial earner of the household.

All professional social profiles and all age groups are affected. Even younger couples are affected, those who might be thought to have grown up with more egalitarian gender norms than previous generations. It is partly the inheritance of traditional norms that is at issue. Couples who do not follow the dominant model of the man who allows his family to survive encounter more difficulties. Even in France, therefore, where the employment rate of women is high and supported by family policies. But INED also offers another interpretation: women who are financially better off than their partners are more likely to consider breaking up because they have the financial capacity to free themselves from their relationship.

Methodology:

This study is based on administrative data from the Permanent Demographic Sample (EDP), which links censuses, civil status records, housing and income tax declarations and other data for 4% of the French resident population, thus providing a representative sample of the population. The analysis focused on individuals aged 18 and over, living as a couple (married, civil partnership or common law) on January 1, 2011 and followed until 2017. During this period, more than 95,000 marital separations were observed