"For richer, for poorer": savings preferences and choice of spouse

Luc Arrondel (1, 2) , Nicolas Frémeaux (1, 2)

1 PSE - Paris-Jourdan Sciences Economiques
2 PSE - Paris School of Economics

Do couples share the same values? The social sciences have mainly concentrated on comparing the socioeconomic characteristics of spouses, but rarely their preferences to risk and time. In this paper, we use conventional measurements and an original method. We find that spouses are very similar in their savings preferences, even when we control for the individual characteristics. These conclusions are decisive in explaining wealth inequalities between households, since homogamy causes a divide in the population. However, if the correlation between preferences and wealth is clear when measured at the household level, spouses with opposite attitudes tend to be richer for some parameters.

Mots clés: Homogamy; Savings Preferences; Household Wealth; Inequalities

Domaines: Economies et finances

Luc Arrondel, Nicolas Frémeaux. "For richer, for poorer": savings preferences and choice of spouse. 2013. ⟨halshs-00786245v3⟩