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“Behind every great man…”: the male marriage wage premium examined qualitatively

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  • Ashwin, Sarah
  • Isupova, Olga

Abstract

Studies across diverse national contexts reliably show that married men earn more than unmarried men, but the mechanisms responsible for this are still disputed. This article explores the male marriage wage premium from a new perspective, using longitudinal qualitative data from Russia (N = 94). Qualitative research is particularly suited to identifying underlying processes and, by analyzing men's accounts of the influence of their marital trajectories on their work, the authors were able to reexamine existing hypotheses and develop new ones. They propose 4 mechanisms that they hypothesize can influence men's work motivation and performance: premarital planning, 2 distinct “breadwinner” effects using expectancy and self determination theory, and monitoring by wives. They integrate these mechanisms within gender theory, arguing that the treatment aspect of the male marriage wage premium is an outcome of the “coproduction” of masculinity within marriage. Their recontextualization of existing theory also enables them to reveal weaknesses in the specialization hypothesis.

Suggested Citation

  • Ashwin, Sarah & Isupova, Olga, 2014. "“Behind every great man…”: the male marriage wage premium examined qualitatively," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 55689, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:55689
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    File URL: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/55689/
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Katherine Keenan & Lyudmila Saburova & Natalia Bobrova & Diana Elbourne & Sarah Ashwin & David A Leon, 2015. "Social Factors Influencing Russian Male Alcohol Use over the Life Course: A Qualitative Study Investigating Age Based Social Norms, Masculinity, and Workplace Context," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(11), pages 1-15, November.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    employment; gender; identity; marriage; men; qualitative methodology;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N0 - Economic History - - General

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