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Female breadwinning and domestic abuse: evidence from Australia

Author

Listed:
  • Yinjunjie Zhang

    (Australian National University)

  • Robert Breunig

    (Australian National University)

Abstract

We explore the relationship between heterosexual partners’ relative income and the incidence of both domestic violence and emotional abuse. Using Australian data drawn from society-wide surveys, we find women who earn more than their male partners are subject to a 33% increase in partner violence and a 20% increase in emotional abuse compared to mean levels. We show the relationship between relative spouse income and female partner abuse is best modelled by a binary variable that captures “female breadwinning.” This finding differs from those of some earlier studies that considered only serious abuse and found a continuous negative relationship between female partners’ relative income and abuse. Instead, our findings suggest a mechanism related to gender norms generating domestic violence. We find no link between relative income and abuse of male partners.

Suggested Citation

  • Yinjunjie Zhang & Robert Breunig, 2023. "Female breadwinning and domestic abuse: evidence from Australia," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 36(4), pages 2925-2965, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:jopoec:v:36:y:2023:i:4:d:10.1007_s00148-023-00975-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s00148-023-00975-9
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Intimate partner violence; Female breadwinning; Relative income;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law
    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution

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