What the study found
The study found different links between work and happiness for married women and men in Taiwan. For wives, part-time work did not raise happiness, while full-time work or moderate overtime was associated with greater happiness. For husbands, happiness was strongly tied to having a job, and not to their spouses’ employment status or working hours.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors conclude that the findings offer insight into how work and subjective well-being are changing within marriage. The study suggests that these patterns also reflect generational differences in work patterns and their implications for subjective well-being.
What the researchers tested
The researchers analyzed longitudinal data from a panel survey in Taiwan. They used fixed-effects modeling to examine how married men’s and women’s happiness was related to their own employment status and working hours, including overtime, as well as their spouses’ employment status and working hours.
What worked and what didn't
For wives, part-time employment was not associated with higher happiness, even though it may be more compatible with family responsibilities. Normative full-time work or moderate overtime was positively associated with wives’ happiness. Among younger women, husbands’ employment status and working hours were largely unrelated to happiness, but among older women, husbands’ non-employment was negatively associated with wives’ happiness. For men in both cohorts, happiness was associated with having a job, and it was not correlated with spouses’ employment status or working hours.
What to keep in mind
The abstract does not describe limitations beyond the study being based on panel survey data from Taiwan. It also does not provide details on how happiness was measured or on the size of the sample.
Key points
- Part-time work did not increase wives’ happiness.
- Full-time work or moderate overtime was positively associated with wives’ happiness.
- Older women’s happiness was negatively associated with husbands’ non-employment.
- Men’s happiness was strongly associated with having a job.
- Men’s happiness was not correlated with spouses’ employment status or working hours.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Employment and happiness differ for married women and men in Taiwan
- Authors:
- Ruoh‐Rong Yu, Ming-Chang Tsai
- Institutions:
- National Taipei University, Research Center for Humanities and Social Sciences, Academia Sinica, Research Center for Humanities and Social Sciences, Academia Sinica
- Publication date:
- 2026-02-25
- OpenAlex record:
- View
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