•  
  •  
 

Keywords

financial therapy, financial planning, economic theory

Abstract

A commonly held view is that arguments about money are associated with marital problems, but relatively little is known about the nature of arguing about money within marriage. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79), this study uses a collective bargaining approach to examine the role of money arguments in marriage. The sample (N = 1,371) consists of married women. A collective bargaining framework provides a context for understanding money arguments within the marital relationship. Results indicate that costly communication is the dominant predictor of money arguments, followed by level and proportion of wife’s income, and household net worth. Because results suggest that both communication and financial resources are important components to understanding money arguments within marriage, a combination of professionals trained in marital therapy and/or financial planning is required for couples interested in seeking assistance to increase their satisfaction and/or avoid divorce.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

References

Abraham, M., Auspurg, K., & Hinz, T. (2009). Should we stay or should be go? A factorial survey analysis of decisions on regional moves within dual-earner partnerships. LASER Discussion Paper No. 28. Retrieved February 19, 2010 from http://www.laser.uni-erlangen.de/papers/paper/83.pdf.

Albrect, S. L. (1979). Correlates of marital happiness among the remarried. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 41(4), 857-867.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/351485

Alderman, H., Chiappori, P. A., Haddad, L., Hoddinott, J., & Kanbur, R. (1995). Unitary versus collective models of the household: Is it time to shift the burden of proof? The World Bank Observer, 10(1), 1-19.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/wbro/10.1.1

Amato, P. R., & Rogers, S. J. (1997). A longitudinal study of marital problems and subsequent divorce. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 59(3), 612-624.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/353949

Andreoni, J., Brown, E., & Rischall, I. (2003). Charitable giving by married couples: Who decides and why does it matter? The Journal of Human Resources, 38(1), 111-133.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1558758

Browning, M. (1992). Children and household economic behavior. Journal of Economic Literature, 30(3), 1434-1475.

Browning, M., & Chiappori, P. A. (1998). Efficient intra-household allocations: A general characterization and empirical tests. Econometrica, 66(6), 1241-1278.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2999616

Clark, D. P. (2006). Why do we argue about money? The answer will probably surprise you! Catholic Online. Retrieved August 19, 2009 from http://www.catholic.org/finance/finance_story.php?id=19800.

Dew, J. (2007). Two sides of the same coin? The differing roles of assets and consumer debt in marriage. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 28(1), 89-104.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10834-006-9051-6

Dew, J., & Dakin, J. (2009). Financial disagreements and marital conflict tactics. Proceedings of the American Council on Consumer Interests, July 2009.

Dew, J., & Yorgason, J. (2010). Economic pressure and marital conflict in retirement-aged couples. Journal of Family Issues, 31(2), 164-188.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0192513X09344168

Financial Therapy Forum (2008, November 22). Proceedings from Financial Therapy Forum held in Garden Grove, California.

Gottman, J. M., & Notarius, C. I. (2002). Marital research in the 20th century and a research agenda for the 21st century. Family Process, 41(2), 159-197.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1545-5300.2002.41203.x
PMid:12140959

Gudmunson, C. G., Beutler, I. F., Israelsen, C. L., McCoy, J. K., & Hill, E. J. (2007). Linking financial strain to marital instability: Examining the roles of emotional distress and marital interaction. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 28(3), 357-376.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10834-007-9074-7

Hair, J. F., Jr., Anderson, R. E., Tatham, R. L., & Black, W. C. (1995). Multivariate data analysis with readings (4th Ed.). Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Jianakoplos, N. A., & Bernasek, A. (2008). Family financial risk taking when the wife earns more. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 29(2), 289-306.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10834-008-9102-2

Jose, O., & Alfons, V. (2007). Do demographics affect marital satisfaction? Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 33(1), 73-85.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00926230600998573

Kahler, R. S. (2005, May). Financial integration: Connecting the client’s past, present, and future. Journal of Financial Planning, 18(5), 62-71.

Klohnen, E. C., & Mendelsohn, G. A. (1998). Partner selection for personality characteristics: A couple-centered approach. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 24(3), 268-278.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0146167298243004

Lawrence, F. C., Thomasson, R. H., Wozniak, P. J., & Prawitz, A. D. (1993). Factors relating to spousal financial arguments. Financial Counseling and Planning, 4, 85-93.

Madden, M. E., & Janoff-Bulman, R. (1981). Blame, control, and marital satisfaction: wives’ attributions for conflict in marriage. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 43(3), 663-674.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/351767

Markman, H. J., & Hahlweg, K. (1993). The prediction and prevention of marital distress: An international perspective. Clinical Psychology Review, 13(1), 29-43.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0272-7358(93)90006-8

Maton, C. C., Maton, M., & Martin, W. M. (2010). Collaborating with a financial therapist: The why, who, what, and how. Journal of Financial Planning. Retrieved February 2, 2010 from http://www.fpajournal.org/CurrentIssue/TableofContents/CollaboratingwithaFinancialTherapist/.

Miller, R. B., Yorgason, J. G., Sandberg, J. G., & White, M. B. (2003). Problems that couples bring to therapy: A view across the family life cycle. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 31(5), 395-407.

Oggins, J. (2003). Topics of marital disagreement among African-American and EuroAmerican newlyweds. Psychological Reports, 92(2), 419-425.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2466/pr0.2003.92.2.419
PMid:12785622

Papp, L. M., Cummings, E. M., & Goeke-Morey, M. C. (2009). For richer, for poorer: Money as a topic of marital conflict in the home. Family Relations, 58(1), 91-103.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3729.2008.00537.x
PMid:22162622 PMCid:3230928

Paskin, J. (2009, July 19). Financial planning gets personal. The Wall Street Journal, June 30, 2009. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124637090100673421.html.

Rick, S. I., Small, D. A., & Finkel, E. J. (2009, September 30). Fatal (fiscal) attraction: Spendthrifts and tightwads in marriage. Retrieved from http://ssrn.com/abstract=1339240.

Risch, G. S., Riley, L. A., & Lawler, M. G. (2003). Problematic issues in the early years of marriage: Content for premarital education. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 31(3), 253-269.

Siegel, J. (1990). Money and marriage: A transparency to the struggles of intimacy. Journal of Independent Social Work, 4(4), 51-60.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J283v04n04_05

Smith, L., Heaven, C. L., & Ciarrochi, J. (2008). Trait emotional intelligence, conflict communication patterns, and relationship satisfaction. Personality and Individual Differences, 44(6), 1314-1325.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2007.11.024

Stanley, S. M., Markman, H. J., & Whitton, S. W. (2002). Communication, conflict, and commitment: Insights on the foundations of relationship success from a national survey. Family Process, 41(4), 659-675.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1545-5300.2002.00659.x
PMid:12613123

Stolz, R. F. (2009, July). When couples clash over finances. Journal of Financial Planning, 22(7), 20-25.

Download

Share

COinS