Women's Education, Intergenerational Coresidence, and Household Decision-Making in China

Objective This study examines how intergenerational coresidence modifies the association between women's education and their household decision-making power in China. Background Past research on how married women's education increases their decision-making power at home has focused primarily on nuclear families. This article extends prior research by examining how this association varies by household structure. It compares women living with their husbands with those living with both their husbands and parents-in-law. Method This article used data from the China Family Panel Studies in 2010 and 2014. It employed marginal structural models to address the concern that certain characteristics selecting women of less power into coresidence with their parents-in-law may be endogenous to women's education. Results In nuclear households, women with a higher level of education have a higher probability of having the final say on household decisions. In multigenerational households, however, where women live with their parents-in-law, a higher level of education of women is not associated with an increase in women's decision-making power. Conclusion Coresidence with husbands' parents may undermine the effect of women's education on their household decision-making power.