Does a difference in partners’ earned incomes increase the risk of couple separation?

With the rise in number of dual-earner couples and higher female educational levels, couples in which women earn more than their partners are increasingly frequent. In 2017, this was the situation of one in four working-age couples in France, compared to one in five in 2002. A new study based on data from France’s Permanent Demographic Sample (EPD) examines connections between income differences within couples and risk of couple separation. The results show that couples in which the woman contributes more to household income are more exposed to separation, particularly when the partners are married.

Higher separation risk when the woman earns more than the man
When the woman’s earnings rise above 55% of the couple’s total income, the risk of separation increases significantly. Separation risk for couples in this situation is 11%- 40% higher than for partners earning near-equal incomes and rises with the proportion of couple’s income contributed by the woman. 

Differences by type of union
In general, cohabiting couples are at higher risk of separation than married couples or those in a PACS (France’s “solidarity pact” civil union). But how do intra-couple income differences affect each type of union? Regardless of union status (married, PACSed, or cohabiting), separation risk is higher when the woman earns more than her male partner. However, some finer distinctions do emerge. For example, the association between income difference and separation risk is less pronounced among PACSed couples. For cohabiting couples, relatively equal intra-couple incomes seem to bolster union stability, while in married couples stability is stronger when the household’s financial mainstay is the man (see graph below).

Higher separation risk even among young couples
Though risk of separation falls with age, especially after age 50, couples where the woman is the main breadwinner face a higher risk of separation regardless of age.  This means that young couples, too, are affected by the increased risk, even though the individuals that compose them belong to generations who grew up with more markedly egalitarian gender norms than their earlier-generation counterparts.

Persistence of traditional norms
The systematically higher risk found for couples where the woman is the main source of income, regardless of couples’ other characteristics, suggests that these relatively unusual couples in that they don’t follow the dominant “male breadwinner” model are more likely to experience couple problems. This holds even in a country like France, where women’s employment is high and resolutely supported by the country’s family policy. Another possible interpretation is that for women with greater financial means than their partner, envisioning separation in case of dissatisfaction may be relatively easy given that their financial ability to live without a partner.