Les partages financiers au sein des couples : principes de justice et rapports de genre.

Abstract

Sharing of finances among couples : principles of equality and gender relations. For the past thirty years, sociological studies of the family have revealed a process of individualisation that is changing both family structures and the meaning of family relations (the importance of love, equality, autonomy, etc.). In what way does this “ new marital ethos” which legitimises personal aspirations transform gender relations ? This article, based on a qualitative study, shows the extent to which the values inherent to the process of individualisation are in fact predicated by gendered socialisation and especially by the monetary status that men and women bring to their marriage. It therefore highlights the importance of financial arrangements that, though they are rarely examined, normalise or, conversely, deconstruct the genderbased criteria for sharing of finances.