The Impact of Intra-household Bargaining Power on Happiness of Married Women: Evidence from Japan

Abstract

This paper evaluates the correlation between intra-household bargaining power and the happiness of married women using Japanese longitudinal survey data (Japanese Panel Survey of Consumers: JPSC) from 1995 to 2013. The results suggest that when absolute income, relative household income, and other factors are constant, the income gap, wage gap and education gap between wife and husband negatively affect married Japanese women’s happiness. The proportion of the total household income or husband’s income controlled by the wife can positively affect married Japanese women’s happiness. The effects of intra-household bargaining power on happiness are greater for the working married women group than the housewife group.