Each year, in France, 3% of couples – married, civil union or common-law – separate, which concerns around 72,000 people, according to INSEE. A social phenomenon which remains largely to be explained but on which a study by the National Institute of Demographic Studies (INED), made public on Monday September 30, sheds particular light, establishing, for the first time in our country, a link between income gaps within the couple and the risk of separation.
“We already knew that when women gain autonomy, they are more likely to break up because they are able to bear the financial consequences. But our work goes further. It shows that the risk of separation increases as the woman’s contribution to the couple’s total income increases. specifies Anne Solaz, research director at INED and author, with Giulia Ferrari and Agnese Vitali, of the study published last May in the journal European Journal of Population.
A study of 95,000 separations
To reach this conclusion, the experts analyzed administrative data – particularly civil status and tax declarations – from a panel of more than 1 million couples, followed from 2011 to 2017. Over this period, nearly 95,000 separations were observed, including 36,000 divorces, 5,000 breakdowns of civil partnerships and 54,000 dissolutions of common-law unions.
“We thus observed that when the woman’s share of income exceeds 55% of the couple’s total income, the risk of separation increases significantly compared to so-called egalitarian couples, where the woman earns between 45 and 55% of the income. This additional risk of rupture can even vary from 11% to 40% depending on the greater or lesser contribution of the woman”underlines Anne Solaz. For example, a couple in a common-law union is 1.6 times more likely to break up when the woman brings in between 85% and 95% of the income than a couple where the income of the man and woman is equal. equalize.
However, situations where the woman earns more than her spouse or partner are becoming more and more frequent with the rise of dual-earner couples and the increase in the level of education of women encouraged by public policies. “In 2017, a quarter of couples were in this configuration compared to a fifth in 2002”underlines Anne Solaz.
A link that has nothing mechanical
However, the picture deserves to be nuanced because the cause and effect link between separation risk and income gaps is not mechanical. “It can vary in particular depending on the type of union, age or social class”notes the researcher. Thus, married or civil partnership couples generally appear more stable than common-law couples. Likewise, if the additional risk linked to the woman’s higher income is also present among young couples, it is less than for previous generations. Finally, the wealthiest couples seem to better tolerate the difference in income in favor of the woman.
“But we lack qualitative data to understand the detailed reasons for these phenomena”admits Anne Solaz. What is certain is that the model of the “breadwinner” man, although still dominant, is less and less followed by couples, which is a source of marital difficulties. Because of men who have difficulty coping with female competition? Or women who now find it easier to consider breaking up in the event of marital dissatisfaction? Unless the two hypotheses complement each other to become one…
