The Gender Gap in Household Bargaining Power: A Revealed-Preference Approach

Ran Gu; Cameron Peng; Weilong Zhang

doi:10.1093/rfs/hhae039

The Gender Gap in Household Bargaining Power: A Revealed-Preference Approach

Ran Gu¹; Cameron Peng²; Weilong Zhang³

¹ University of Essex, Colchester, United Kingdom, and Institute for Fiscal Studies , London, · ² London School of Economics and Political Science, London, United Kingdom, and Center for Economic Policy Research , London, · ³ University of Cambridge , Cambridge,

Review of Financial Studies 2026 open access

Abstract When members of the same household have different risk preferences, whose preference matters more for investment decisions and why? We propose an intrahousehold model that aggregates individual preferences at the household level as a result of bargaining. We structurally estimate the model, analyze the determinants of bargaining power, and find a significant gender gap. Gender differences in individual characteristics, as well as gender effects, partially explain the gap. These patterns hold broadly across Australia, Germany, and the United States. We further link the distribution of bargaining power to households’ perceived gender norms in a cross-sectional analysis. (JEL G11, G41, G50)

DOI: 10.1093/rfs/hhae039
Volume: 39 (6)
Pages: 1611-1653
Language: en
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