This paper examines the effect of personality traits on intra-household financial decision-making, with a particular focus on household debt dynamics. Using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement, the study explores how the Big Five personality traits influence the selection of the financial head within elderly couples, and how the traits of both the financial head and the spouse contribute to household non-mortgage debt. The findings highlight the significance of openness and extraversion in the determination of financial headship. Husbands with greater openness tend to take on the role of financial head, while wives with relatively higher levels of openness and extraversion compared to their husbands are more likely to assume this responsibility. The analysis also reveals that neuroticism is the only personality trait influencing household debt decisions, with higher levels of neuroticism in both the financial head and the spouse associated with increased amounts of non-mortgage debt.

This study examined the predictors of financial assets (e.g., savings and retirement assets) at early midlife in a sample of 1,092 individuals (93.7% Black American) who grew up in low-income neighborhoods. Data were drawn from the Chicago Longitudinal Study, which has tracked participants from early childhood to midlife and consists of participant, parent, teacher surveys, and administrative records. The main outcomes were savings in 2019 dollars (log) and savings in the top quartile of the study sample, both self-reported at age 35-37. Hierarchical linear and binary logistic regression analyses identified many significant (p < .05 or p < .01) predictors of assets, including: involvement in child welfare system by age 5 (b = -1.55), Child-Parent Center preschool participation (b = 0.77), early math achievement (b = 0.05), socio-emotional adjustment (0.18), grade retention (b = -1.14), school quality (b = 1.50), and juvenile arrest (b = -2.17). The strongest alterable predictors in the full model were involvement in child welfare system, socio-emotional adjustment, grade retention, school quality, and juvenile arrest. The full model also indicated that males had greater savings and Black participants fewer savings. Parent expectations and involvement as well as school quality also predicted top quartile savings status. Implications for future research and practice are discussed. The contribution of school experiences in early and middle childhood suggests greater investments in programs that promote socio-emotional learning and academic success.

Work-family balance (WFB) is attained if parents combine work and family roles aligned with their values. For an egalitarian parent aiming to implement a 50/50-split-model, this means sharing paid work, childcare, and housework equally with their partner (involvement balance), performing well in all roles (effective balance), while having positive emotions (emotional balance). This is difficult since work and family are competing for time and attention. Therefore, this article presents resources which can help parents attain WFB within a 50/50-split-model. Quantitative data of n = 1036 couples participating in the Dresden Study on Parenting, Work, and Mental Health (DREAM) were used to calculate the implementation rate of the 50/50-split-model at 14 months postpartum. Quantitative DREAM data were screened to purposively select n = 25 participants implementing a 50/50-split-model for the qualitative study DREAMTALK. Problem-centered interviews were conducted and analyzed via qualitative content analysis. Quantitative results showed a 50/50-split-model implementation rate of 3.8–17.5% among German parents. Qualitative results revealed 14 individual- and eight macro-level resources to facilitate WFB within a 50/50-split-model. Individual-level examples are acknowledging benefits of childcare assistance, segmentation from paid work and controversially, in other situations, integration of paid work and family. Macro-level examples are availability of childcare assistance, of solo paternal leave, paid work < 39 h/week, employee flexibility options, and family-friendly workplace cultures. To conclude, the full potential of individual-level resources applied by parents is attained when supported by macro-level resources provided by politics and employers. Parents, politics, and employers can facilitate WFB within the 50/50-split-model to foster gender equality.

Abstract Family businesses are increasingly recognized for their significance in the global economy, constituting a growing portion of companies worldwide and elevating the importance of this topic on governmental agendas. Unique challenges confront family firms, intertwining business decisions with familial repercussions. Among these challenges, the succession process emerges as a critical threat to their continuity. Inadequate solutions to the question of succession often lead to organizational failure, underscoring the urgency of addressing this issue. This study endeavors to construct an analysis model to support decision-makers throughout the succession journey, integrating a constructivist approach that merges cognitive mapping and interpretive structural modeling (ISM). This dual methodology facilitates the swift identification and analysis of factors crucial for smoother family business succession. The model development leverages insights from an expert panel and entails delineating cause-and-effect relationships among identified determinants and prioritizing these factors based on their significance. Subsequently, the model undergoes validation through a consolidation session with experts from the Associação de Empresas Familiares (i.e., Family Business Association in Portuguese), who assess its practical applicability. This includes perspectives from a Brazilian expert renowned for his understanding of family business dynamics within an emerging economy—Brazil. The insights gleaned from these sessions inform recommendations on implementing the tested procedures within real-life family enterprises, thereby contributing to the sustainability and longevity of these businesses.

Abstract This paper analyzes how variables that shape intrahousehold bargaining relate to spouses’ labor supply. We estimate a collective model using data from the EU-SILC over 2004–2019 for 17 countries. Results provide evidence of the relevance of the following distribution factors: sex ratio, non-labor income, age difference, education difference, and fertility rates. The sex ratio seems to be a distribution factor in Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Switzerland. In addition, the wife’s share of non-labor income is a distribution factor in Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and the UK. In Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and the UK the spouses’ age gap displays opposite signs on spouses’ labor supply, whereas in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, and the UK the spouses’ education level differences display intrahousehold bargaining signs. Finally, the fertility rate is a distribution factor in Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Ireland, Latvia, Portugal, Switzerland, and the UK. These results indicate that spousal- and country-specific characteristics are assessed differently across Europe and may help planners to implement household policies on cash transfers, schooling, and fertility.