In a couple, the more money a woman earns, the greater the risk of separation

According to the National Institute of Demographic Studies, the more the woman contributes to the joint income in a couple, the greater the risk of separation.

Couples where the woman contributes more to the joint income than her male partner run “a higher risk” of separation, according to a study presented this Monday by the National Institute of Demographic Studies (INED).

“Couples in which the share of income provided by the woman is greater than 55% are more unstable than other couples, significantly”, with a “risk of separation” higher by 11% to 40% compared to couples with equal income, according to this study carried out for the first time in France and published in June in the European Journal of Population. “And the risk of separation increases with the woman’s share of the total income” of the couple, she specifies.

According to the study carried out from a sample bringing together data from nearly a million couples, representative of the French population, between January 2011 and January 2017, this “increased risk” of separation is observed both among married couples than in civil partnerships or simply living together and is more important among the lowest incomes.

The balance between income, however, does not have the same influence depending on the type of couple: in marriage, the man’s preponderant contribution is “stabilizing”, while equality between income fulfills this role among couples. couples “cohabiting”. The influence of income is less important among civil partnership couples.

“New egalitarian balance”

Among the couples studied, the most important income remains provided by the man in 49.3% of cases, 20.5% have equal income and in 13.7% the woman is the main contributor. The couple’s income is provided entirely by the woman in two couples out of 100 and by the man in 14.5% of cases.

The study points to “the emergence of a new egalitarian balance” towards which “the profile of the ‘stable couple’ is evolving”, even if the risk of separation remains “always lower among couples” where the man is the main one income provider.

The authors believe “nevertheless, (that) the higher rate of separation which persists among couples where the woman is the main income earner clearly indicates that deviating from the norms is difficult to accept even in countries like France where the female employment is high and supported by family policies”, conclude the authors.