IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/woemps/v29y2015i5p703-719.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Households’ responses to spousal job loss: ‘all change’ or ‘carry on as usual’?

Author

Listed:
  • Karon Gush

    (University of Essex, UK)

  • James Scott

    (University of Essex, UK)

  • Heather Laurie

    (University of Essex, UK)

Abstract

Economic theory suggests that when a primary earner within a couple loses their job, one potential response is for the secondary earner to seek additional paid work to bolster their household finances. The empirical quantitative evidence regarding any such ‘added worker effect’ is mixed, and, to investigate why this might be, the article explores processes behind couples’ responses to job loss. Drawing on in-depth qualitative interviews conducted with a purposive sample selected from the Understanding Society Innovation Panel, the analysis examines: (a) anticipation surrounding job loss and job search responses; (b) the extent to which couples adopt long- or short-term labour market perspectives; and (c) whether couples seek to preserve their established division of paid and unpaid labour or re-configure their joint labour supply. Findings indicate that the use of additional spousal labour is only one response among many alternatives and it is typically invoked in cases of serious financial hardship.

Suggested Citation

  • Karon Gush & James Scott & Heather Laurie, 2015. "Households’ responses to spousal job loss: ‘all change’ or ‘carry on as usual’?," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 29(5), pages 703-719, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:29:y:2015:i:5:p:703-719
    DOI: 10.1177/0950017014556411
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0950017014556411
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/0950017014556411?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Pia Schober & Jacqueline Scott, 2012. "Maternal employment and gender role attitudes: dissonance among British men and women in the transition to parenthood," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 26(3), pages 514-530, June.
    2. Samuelson, William & Zeckhauser, Richard, 1988. "Status Quo Bias in Decision Making," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 1(1), pages 7-59, March.
    3. Lundberg, Shelly, 1985. "The Added Worker Effect," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 3(1), pages 11-37, January.
    4. Paul Bingley & Ian Walker, 2001. "Household Unemployment and the Labour Supply of Married Women," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 68(270), pages 157-186, May.
    5. Bell, David N.F. & Blanchflower, David G., 2010. "UK Unemployment in the Great Recession," National Institute Economic Review, National Institute of Economic and Social Research, vol. 214, pages 3-25, October.
    6. Crossley, Craig D. & Highhouse, Scott, 2005. "Relation of job search and choice process with subsequent satisfaction," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 26(2), pages 255-268, April.
    7. Jane Waldfogel & Susan Harkness & Stephen Machin, 1997. "Evaluating the pin money hypothesis: The relationship between women`s labour market activity, family income and poverty in Britain," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 10(2), pages 137-158.
    8. Cullen, Julie Berry & Gruber, Jonathan, 2000. "Does Unemployment Insurance Crowd Out Spousal Labor Supply?," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 18(3), pages 546-572, July.
    9. James J. Heckman & Thomas E. Macurdy, 1980. "A Life Cycle Model of Female Labour Supply," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 47(1), pages 47-74.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Tanja van der Lippe & Judith Treas & Lukas Norbutas, 2018. "Unemployment and the Division of Housework in Europe," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 32(4), pages 650-669, August.
    2. Hélène PÉRIVIER, 2018. "Recession, austerity and gender: A comparison of eight European labour markets," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 157(1), pages 1-37, March.
    3. Hélène Périvier, 2016. "Recession, austerity and gender: A Comparison of Eight European Labour Markets," Sciences Po publications 2016-05, Sciences Po.
    4. Jane Elliott & Jon Lawrence, 2016. "The Emotional Economy of Unemployment," SAGE Open, , vol. 6(4), pages 21582440166, December.
    5. Hélène Périvier, 2016. "Recession, austerity and gender," Working Papers hal-03459410, HAL.
    6. Arja Jolkkonen & Pertti Koistinen & Arja Kurvinen & Liudmila Lipiäinen & Tapio Nummi & Pekka Virtanen, 2018. "Labour Market Attachment Following Major Workforce Downsizings: A Comparison of Displaced and Retained Workers," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 32(6), pages 992-1010, December.
    7. David Bayliss & Wendy Olsen & Pierre Walthery, 2017. "Well-Being During Recession in the UK," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 12(2), pages 369-387, June.
    8. Aliya Hamid Rao, 2020. "From Professionals to Professional Mothers: How College-educated Married Mothers Experience Unemployment in the US," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 34(2), pages 299-316, April.
    9. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/41isuana4r9csqvq548poclp6e is not listed on IDEAS

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rania Gihleb & Osnat Lifshitz, 2022. "Dynamic Effects of Educational Assortative Mating on Labor Supply," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 46, pages 302-327, October.
    2. Fadlon, Itzik & Nielsen, Torben Heien, 2019. "Household labor supply and the gains from social insurance," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 18-28.
    3. Ayhan, Sinem H., 2015. "Evidence of Added Worker Effect from the 2008 Economic Crisis," IZA Discussion Papers 8937, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Martha Starr, 2014. "Gender, added-worker effects, and the 2007–2009 recession: Looking within the household," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 12(2), pages 209-235, June.
    5. Macchioni Giaquinto, Annarita & Jones, Andrew M. & Rice, Nigel & Zantomio, Francesca, 2021. "Labour supply and informal care responses to health shocks within couples: evidence from the UKHLS," GLO Discussion Paper Series 806, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    6. Serdar Birinci, 2019. "Spousal Labor Supply Response to Job Displacement and Implications for Optimal Transfers," Working Papers 2019-020, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, revised 25 Sep 2021.
    7. Tom Krebs & Moritz Kuhn & Mark L. J. Wright, 2015. "Human Capital Risk, Contract Enforcement, and the Macroeconomy," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 105(11), pages 3223-3272, November.
    8. Aysit Tansel & Zeynel Abidin Ozdemir, 2018. "Unemployment invariance hypothesis, added and discouraged worker effects in Canada," International Journal of Manpower, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 39(7), pages 929-936, October.
    9. Bellou, Andriana & Cardia, Emanuela, 2021. "The Great Depression and the rise of female employment: A new hypothesis," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    10. Matthieu Bunel, 2002. "Added worker effect revisited through the French working time reduction experiment," Post-Print halshs-00178452, HAL.
    11. Joaquín Serrano & Leonardo Gasparini & Mariana Marchionni & Pablo Glüzmann, 2019. "Economic cycle and deceleration of female labor force participation in Latin America," Journal for Labour Market Research, Springer;Institute for Employment Research/ Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), vol. 53(1), pages 1-21, December.
    12. Matthieu Bunel, 2004. "Les conjoints des salariés passés à 35 heures travaillent-ils davantage ?. Une analyse de l'offre de travail familiale sur données françaises," Economie & Prévision, La Documentation Française, vol. 0(3), pages 165-188.
    13. Melvin Stephens, 2002. "Worker Displacement and the Added Worker Effect," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 20(3), pages 504-537, July.
    14. Aysit Tansel & Zeynel Abidin Ozdemir, 2016. "Unemployment Invariance Hypothesis, Added and Discouraged Worker Effects in Canada?," ERC Working Papers 1717, ERC - Economic Research Center, Middle East Technical University, revised Dec 2017.
    15. Irastorza-Fadrique, Aitor & Levell, Peter & Parey, Matthias, 2023. "Household Responses to Trade Shocks," IZA Discussion Papers 16032, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    16. Ayhan, Sinem H., 2014. "How Do Married Women Respond When Their Husbands Lose Their Jobs? Evidence from Turkey During the Recent Crisis," VfS Annual Conference 2014 (Hamburg): Evidence-based Economic Policy 100387, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    17. Laurine Martinoty, 2014. "Intra-Household Coping Mechanisms in Hard Times: the Added Worker Effect in the 2001 Argentine Economic Crisis," Post-Print halshs-01076566, HAL.
    18. Julia Bredtmann & Sebastian Otten & Christian Rulff, 2014. "Husband’s Unemployment and Wife’s Labor Supply – The Added Worker Effect across Europe," Economics Working Papers 2014-13, Department of Economics and Business Economics, Aarhus University.
    19. Aleksandra Riedl & Florian Schoiswohl, 2015. "Is there an added worker effect? – European labor supply during the crisis," Focus on European Economic Integration, Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Austrian Central Bank), issue 4, pages 71-88.
    20. Martin Halla & Julia Schmieder & Andrea Weber, 2020. "Job Displacement, Family Dynamics, and Spousal Labor Supply," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 12(4), pages 253-287, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:29:y:2015:i:5:p:703-719. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.britsoc.co.uk/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.