How does the wage gap operate within the household?

A recent global study conducted by researchers Deepak Malghan and Hema Swaminathan titled “Global trends in intra-house gender inequality” in 45 countries. They found that there is no single nation where wives earn as much as their husbands, even when both are employed.

The study covers the time period of four decades, between 1973 and 2016 with a sample size of 2.85 million households across 45 countries. According to the study, the intra-household gender inequality has declined by 20%.

To understand more about the study, income inequality and the differences in engagement in the labor market amongst spouses, Kunika Balhotra spoke with Hema Swaminathan, one of the authors of the study. 

Hema is an Associate Professor at the Centre for Public Policy, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. Her broad interests are in the areas of poverty and inequality using a gender perspective.

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