Is Wife’s Marital Satisfaction Associated with Husband’s Dominance in Family Affairs? Empirical Evidence from China

Abstract

Employing data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), the paper empirically examines the relation between husband’s dominance in family affairs and wife’s marital satisfaction. While applying the ordinal probit model and ordinary least squares (OLS) method, the paper finds that wife’s reported marital satisfaction is positively associated with her husband’s dominant role in family affairs. This conclusion remains valid after using an instrumental variable to deal with endogeneity and performing some robustness tests. Some heterogeneities exist: the association is particularly prominent among those women who have traditional gender norms and are living in rural areas. These women tend to embrace the traditional gender ideology which stipulates that men are the masters of the family.