Abstract

Little is known about self-employment as a career choice for women who marry a high-income spouse. Using rich Swedish register data, we show that Swedish women who are married to a high-income spouse are, on average, highly educated and more likely to pursue self-employment than those married to a spouse in the middle of the income distribution. Our results indicate that the likelihood of entering self-employment increases by 128–176% for women who marry a spouse in the top of the income distribution, and the shift into self-employment is associated with a lower income. This can be interpreted as a career choice that produces a more flexible work schedule in return for lower income. In a Nordic welfare state, where work is the norm for women, self-employment offers a way to avoid the stay-at-home stigma. It allows one to stay in the workforce while enjoying approval from society and being in control of one’s work schedule and personal demands.

Plain English Summary

This study shows that self-employment allows women to stay in the labor force and have control over their work-life balance. By staying in the labor force, they are able to avoid the stay-at-home stigma. Despite the increase in female labor force participation during the past century, gender equality appears to have stalled in the top 1%. Highly educated women are leaving the labor market to assume responsibility for their children while the husbands are pursuing their career. In Sweden, being a stay-at-home wife is met with social disapproval. One way to avoid the stay-at-home stigma while being in control of your work-life balance is to become self-employed. We show that the likelihood of entering self-employment increases by 128–176% for women who marry a spouse in the top of the income distribution, and the shift into self-employment is associated with a lower income. That women are abandoning a potential high-income career for low-income self-employment may be harmful to both society’s efforts to create a system with equal rights and opportunities, and for the economy’s potential growth rate.

中文翻译：

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女性自营职业：拥有高收入配偶的普遍性和绩效影响

摘要

对于与高收入配偶结婚的女性来说，自雇作为一种职业选择知之甚少。我们使用丰富的瑞典登记数据表明，与收入分配中等的配偶结婚的瑞典女性，平均而言，受过高等教育，并且更有可能从事自谋职业。我们的结果表明，与收入分配最高的配偶结婚的女性从事自雇的可能性增加了 128-176%，而转向自雇与较低的收入有关。这可以解释为一种职业选择，它产生更灵活的工作时间表以换取较低的收入。在北欧福利国家，工作是女性的常态，自谋职业提供了一种避免留在家中耻辱的方法。

简单的英语摘要

这项研究表明，自营职业使女性能够留在劳动力队伍中并控制她们的工作与生活的平衡。通过留在劳动力中，他们能够避免留在家中的耻辱。尽管过去一个世纪女性劳动力参与率有所增加，但性别平等似乎在前 1% 中停滞不前。受过高等教育的妇女正在离开劳动力市场去承担对孩子的责任，而丈夫则在追求自己的事业。在瑞典，做全职太太会遭到社会的反对。在控制工作与生活平衡的同时避免留在家中耻辱的一种方法是成为自雇人士。我们表明，与收入分配最高的配偶结婚的女性进入自营职业的可能性增加了 128-176%，向自雇职业的转变与较低的收入有关。女性放弃潜在的高收入职业转而从事低收入的自营职业，可能对社会建立具有平等权利和机会的制度的努力以及经济的潜在增长率都有害。