Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/236270 
Year of Publication: 
2021
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 14239
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
Work as well as family life are crucial sources of human wellbeing, which however often interfere. This is especially so if partners work in the same occupation or industry. At the same time, being work-linked may benefit their career success. Still, surprisingly little is known about the wellbeing of work-linked couples. Our study fills this gap by examining the satisfaction differences between work-linked and non-work-linked partners. Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP, 2019), we estimate the effect of working in the same occupation and/or industry on life satisfaction as well as satisfaction with four areas of life: income, work, family and leisure. In the process, we employ pooled OLS estimations and instrumental variable strategies, for instance based on the gender disparity in industries and occupations. Our results suggest that being work-linked increases satisfaction with life as well as income and job satisfaction. These findings are consistent with positive assortative matching and mutual career support between work-linked partners. Our conclusions concern hiring couples as a means of recruiting exceptional talent.
Subjects: 
occupational gender disparity
copreneurs
work-life balance
relationship quality
assortative matching
wellbeing
work-linked couples
dual career support
JEL: 
I31
J12
J21
J44
M51
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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