Power of love?

Abstract

The detraditionalization in Norway is more marketed than in many other European countries. Women have more freedom to choose how much they want to work, what they want to study, and generally more freedom to decide how they want to live their lives. With detraditionalization, women gained more bargaining power also within the household, giving them more freedom to negotiate the equal distribution of unpaid work with their partners. However, if the man still has traditional gender norms, he will probably do not accept the women’s desire for equality, which can, in turn, increase the probability of household dissolution. This thesis investigates whether higher bargaining power among women in the household is associated with a higher risk for household dissolution. More specifically, I test that when the wife’s hourly wage, number of hours spent at work, education, and age are higher than her husband’s, the probability of separation increases. To test my hypothesis, I use register data from Statistics Norway. I analyze the data by use of logistic regression in the analytical tool microdata.no. I find that the risk of household dissolution is negatively correlated with the income and education level in the household. However, in households where the woman has a relatively higher wage or education than the man, the risk of separation is higher than in a household where the woman is relatively less educated or earns less. I further find that working full time is associated with a higher risk of household dissolution for the woman, but not for the man. The results indicate that even in Norway, where relatively few people agree with traditional gender norms, gender conflict may still be an issue.