Who is the head in this house? Gender features of decision-making in modern Russian family

On the basis of the data from the «Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS HSE)» a dynamic analysis of the perceptions of men and women about their influence on decision-making the the family was carried out. The analysis covers 2006–2021. There are examined modern trends in the change in self-assessments of the degree of influence on decision-making in the family, as well as the role of various factors that determine formation of family decisions. It is shown that the existing distribution of power between spouses in making decisions in the family is characterized by a fairly high stability, but behind the veil of such stability, various and quite dynamic changes of a particular order are often hidden, prompting a rethinking of the understanding of the very mechanism for making such decisions. Since the process of family decision-making is determined by age, level of education, a spouse’s job, the number of children in the family, and other circumstances, the influence of which is mediated by gender specifics, husbands and wives perceive their role and influence in making these decisions differently. But in general, wives who continue controlling the domestic sphere are assessing their influence in making decisions in the family noticeably higher than their husbands. Although power largely determines the ability of a particular person to influence other people and the decisions they make, married men and women rarely associate their influence in family decision-making with the possession of power as such. But at the same time, feeling of being influential in the family is an important determinant of the social well-being of spouses.

power, influence, gender differences, decision-making, family