Gender Inequalities in the 21st Century

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Gender Inequalitiesin the 21st Century

• Within Household Inequalities
• Couple Finances
• 26-27 March 2009
• Togetherness and Autonomy in
• Low/Moderate Income Couples
• Fran Bennett (University of Oxford)
• and Sirin Sung (Queens University Belfast)

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Introduction

• GeNet project 5 www.genet.ac.uk
• Within Household Inequalities
• and Public Policy
• Not mixed methods project, but multi-method, with
  joint working throughout
• Presentations draw on all elements analysis of
  qualitative and quantitative data and policy
  simulation

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• The family is a key site of distribution (of
  resources, time and labour), but is often a
  black box which is not investigated and within
  which equality is assumed
• Aims of project
• To explore alternative approaches to
  understanding the
• behavioural and distributional impact of policy
  change which take account of gender
  inequalities in power and influence within the
  household
• To use such approaches to analyse the effects of
  actual and potential changes in fiscal, social
  security and associated labour market policies

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Outline of workshop

• Gendering togetherness and financial autonomy
  in low/moderate income couples
• The pursuit of collective household interests
  may differentially limit individuals current
  and/or future autonomy
• Factors influencing entitlements to household
  resources can result in unequal financial
  autonomy for men and women
• Influence of tax/benefits system on these
  inequalities

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Outline of this presentation

• Qualitative research method and sample
• Understanding of (financial) autonomy economic
  independence and agency
• Challenges to emphasis on autonomy
• Drivers to togetherness in these couples
• Exploration of aspects of financial autonomy from
  gendered perspective
• Reflections, issues and future plans

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Method and sample

• Semi-structured, separate interviews with members
  of 30 couples (almost all married)
• Time-limited sample from BHPS/ECHP (booster),
  interviewed in 2006
• Male/female couples, mostly both members of
  working age, have had child/ren at some time
• In England, Wales, Scotland (not N Ireland)
• Low/moderate income largely on means-tested
  benefits/tax credits now and/or in past

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Financial autonomy

• Autonomy ability to determine life
• Financial autonomy defined as economic
  independence and/or agency with money
• - lack of dependence on/control by partner
• - agency decisions/actions related to household
  income personal projects
• Data based on what interviewees said
• Focus on gender perspective

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Togetherness

• Challenges to emphasis on autonomy
• Strong loyalty to mutuality/family unit
• Drivers to togetherness are strong
• low/moderate income (make stretch)
• children as joint project
• couples have stayed together
• All in one pot, no yours and mine, team
• (Sonnenberg all in one pot figurative?)

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Economic independence

• Making a contribution link with family survival
  more likely for men, self-esteem more likely for
  women
• Money wise my wages is very important to me, I
  need to be bringing in something to contribute.
  Its not necessary, we could live on his wage if
  we wanted to, but I need to work to contribute to
  bring in a little bit in doing something. It is
  emotionally very important to me.
• (case 11, female)
• Money in your own right likely to be less
  imp-ortant for men, or seen as antithetical to
  sharing / an issue for women (more aware of
  tensions)

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• Men/women view of independence differs
• You can spend on what you like, if you need
  something you can buy what you like. (case 22,
  male)
• To me its quite important, yes, I think you
  need to be ... have a little bit of independence
  in whatever you do. (case 27, female)
• Privacy more women had individual accounts but
  some men saw this choice as selfishness if
  applied to themselves

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Agency access to household income

• Womens management of joint pool of household
  income as compensation?
• Agency in relation to household money management
  women may take/hand over
• Joint account access may be problematic
• (Degree of) autonomy in gendered spending areas
  Im bills, shes food
• Not having to ask important for women

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Agency income for personal projects

• On low incomes, little to spare anyway
• Most did not have to justify personal spending
• Womens spending on family as personal?
• Concern for others/connectedness as expression of
  autonomy/agency
• More women only spend own incomes
• For some women, maintenance of autonomy at price
  of living standard

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Reflections

• Togetherness subscribed to by most
• But more unitary than gender equal?
• Men more likely to see little to disturb
  togetherness and/or autonomy as threat
• Women managed togetherness? but often also had
  aspirations for autonomy/agency
• But more difficult in low income families (joint
  assessment and private childrearing)

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Issues and future plans

• Focus so far on gendering togetherness and
  (financial) autonomy men/women
• One partners autonomy limiting others? - link
  to inequality (including some women giving men
  pocket money, keeping their debit cards, buying
  their clothes etc.)
• Link perceptions with demographic info
• Togetherness/autonomy couple typology?