Control over Earned Income

The survey asked “When you earn money, what do you do with it?” of women and men who reported that they were employed.  Figure 1 summarizes the results for men and women.

Figures 2 and 3 look at how women who work for pay manage their earned income, by their educational attainment and the amount of their earnings.

As levels of educational attainment increase, so does the percentage of women who keep their earnings for personal use.  The opposite is true for money spent on family and children.  Fewer women with a university degree or higher spend their earnings on their family and children compared with women who have lower levels of education. 

 

As women’s monthly income increases, so does the percentage of women who spend their earnings on family and children.  This trend reverses, however, for money kept for personal use.

Figure 4 looks at how women (n=789) and men (n=591) gauge their control over income.