Does reversal of the educational gender gap affect Men's happiness: Evidence from China

Abstract

AbstractIn the context of the reversal of the educational gender gap, this article employs a nationally representative survey to examine the relationship between a wife's educational advantages (i.e., wife attains more education than her husband) and her husband's happiness. By controlling for individual, family, and community factors, we demonstrate that a husband's happiness is positively associated with his wife's educational advantages. Instrumental variable regressions and series of robustness checks corroborate the conclusion. However, certain heterogeneities are observed, with a particularly notable positive association among men with higher education levels, younger age, and those residing in the eastern region, likely influenced by their egalitarian gender ideologies. The study suggests that men are increasingly accepting of marriages in which the wife is more educated than her husband.