Married Moms, Money and Mental Health

• In Event: 504 - Regular Session. Social/Cultural Impacts on Parents and Parenting

Abstract

Research indicates that employment improves mental health, yet we know less about the mechanisms linking employment and well-being, particularly for married mothers. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979, this study tests the relevancy of resource and bargaining perspectives for understanding the relationships among married spouses’ employment status, relative earnings and depression. Findings indicate that though employment is associated with improved mental health for all, there is little evidence that greater spousal earnings shares are a mechanism for the benefits of employment. Among mothers, having greater earnings relative to one’s spouse is detrimental for mental health. In contrast, fathers’ and childless men’s mental health improves with greater earnings relative to their spouse. Results suggest that gendered parental roles alter the meaning of money, and limit mothers’ ability to leverage earnings as a source of household bargaining power to benefit their well-being.

Author

• Katrina Leupp, Washington State University