In this chapter, we analyse how a wife's participation and outcomes in the labor market are
influenced by her husband's resources in Mexico. Theories on this topic predict opposing
partner effects: economic theory predicts a negative association between partners’
resources and women’s work status, whereas the social capital and gender equality
approaches, suggest a positive effect on women’s job status. In order to test these
hypotheses, we structure our study around three main research questions. Are women
more likely to work when their partners earn relatively little income? Does men’s
education influence women’s work status within couples? Do male partners’ economic
resources positively affect employed women’s earnings? To answer these questions, we
use data from the National Survey of Occupation and Employment of Mexico (ENOE)
collected in 2005 and 2017. Mexico is characterized by being a mostly patriarchal society
with high economic and social inequality for women. In this context, our results suggest a
negative association between men’s earning and their partners’ work status in Mexico.
Moreover, we found a positive relationship between partners’ resources and women’s
earnings. Regarding education, we found that the more educated the male partner is, the
more likely a woman is to work in the labor market.