Resources & Decision-Making in Households

• Barret and McIntosh 


  Note that men gain far more from women's domestic work than they give back in financial support. The financial support that husbands give to their wives is often unpredictable and comes with 'strings' attached. Men usually make the decisions about spending on important items.
• Kempson


  Research shows that family members do not share resources such as money and food equally. For example, finding that among low-income families, women denied their own needs, rarely going out, and eating smaller portions of food/skipping meals altogether in order to make ends meet.
• Money Management: Pahl and Vogler; Control over Family Income


  The Allowence System- where men give their wives an allowance out of which they have to budget to meet the family's needs, with the man retaining any surplus income for himself.

  Pooling: where both partners have access to income and joint responsibility for expenditure (e.g. a joint bank account).

  Pooling is on the increase and is now the most common money management system.
• Decision-Making: Pahl and Vogler

  It is assumed an increase in pooling indicates more equality; however, where the pooled income is controlled by the husband, it tends to give the men more power in all major financial decisions. Finding that even when there was pooling, men usually made the major financial decisions.
• Decision-Making: Hardill


  A study of 30 dual-career professional couples found that the more important decisions were usually taken either by the man alone or jointly, and that his career usually took priority when deciding whether to move house for a new job. Supporting Finch's observation that women's lives tend to be structured around their husbands' careers.
• Decision-Making: Edgell


  Very important decisions- taken by the husband alone, or jointly but with the husband having the final say.

  Important decisions- usually taken jointly, rarely by the wife alone.

  Less important decisions- usually made by the wife.

  Arguing the reason why men are likely to take the decisions is because they earn more, women are then dependent on their husbands economically so they have less say.
• Decision-Making: Recent Evidence

  Some evidence of a recent move towards greater equality in financial decision-making. Laurie and Gershuny found that by 1995, 70% of couples said they had equal say in decisions. Significantly, though, they did find that women who were high earning, well qualified professionals were more likely to have an equal say.
• Cultural Versus Material Explanations

  Gershuny and Laurie provide support for the material explanation of gender inequality. However, feminists argue that they aren't just the result of inequalities in earnings- but argue in a patriarchal society, the cultural definition of men as decision-makers is deeply ingrained in both sexes, and instilled through gender role socialisation. Until this definition is challenged, decision-making is likely to remain unequal.
• The Meaning of Money: Pahl


  Notes that just pooling money doesn't mean there is equality- we also need to know who controls the pooled money and whether each partner contributes equally. Finding that cohabiting couples were less likely to pool their money (desire to maintain their independence). Yet evidence shows they are more likely to share domestic tasks. Ideas then point to the fact that we need to understand the meaning of money for couples. Nyman claims that money has no fixed or natural meaning and differs for each couple- their meanings then reflect the nature of the relationship.
• A 'Personal Life' Perspective on Money

  For example, there is evidence that same-sex couples often give different meanings to the control of money in their relationships. Smart found that some gay men and lesbians attached no importance to who controlled the money, and were happy to leave this to their partners. They didn't see the control of money as meaning either equality or inequality in their relationship. Same-sex relationships don't have the same historical, gendered cultural meanings about money- that see it as a source of power.
• A 'Personal Life' Perspective on Money

  Weeks et al found that the typical pattern was pooling some money for household spending, and having separate accounts for personal spending. This money management system thus reflects a value of 'co-independence'- where there is sharing, but each partner retains control over some money and maintains a sense of independence (like that of cohabiting couples).