Impact of the intra-household bargaining power gap on the happiness of married women in China

Abstract

This paper evaluates the impact of the intra-household bargaining power gap on the happiness of married women in China. It uses data from the Chinese general social survey (CGSS) from 2005 to 2015. The results indicate the education gap, the income gap, and the hukou gap between wife and husband may negatively affect married women's happiness, while the age gap may positively affect married women's happiness. It is also found that the effects of the intra-household bargaining power gap on happiness are greater for working married women, the short-term marriage group, and the rural group. This suggests that an increase in the gender gap of intra-household bargaining power and work-family conflict may decrease married women's happiness in contemporary China.