Gender inequality in control of household finances is a well-known phenomenon. We investigate whether such imbalance also extends to the delegation of financial decision-making (FDM) responsibilities to one’s spouse in old age. This study reports the results from an incentivized delegation experiment among Australian couples of age ≥60 years. Participants were required to complete FDM tasks, which they had the option of completing independently or delegating to their spouse. The odds of women delegating to their spouse were found to be nearly 25 times higher than that of men. This gender difference in delegation was not explained by differences in financial competence, education, age, or cognitive status. The likelihood of delegation increased with the financial competence of the spouse. Individuals who had the option to delegate selectively delegated more often and earlier than those who could only delegate irrevocably. Our evidence suggests that gender norms and control play a dominant role in the delegation of FDM within older couples and can override specialization or efficiency considerations.

中文翻译：

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放松控制：将财务决策权委托给年老的配偶

家庭财务控制方面的性别不平等是一个众所周知的现象。我们调查这种不平衡是否也延伸到将财务决策（FDM）责任委托给年老的配偶。本研究报告了针对年龄≥60 岁的澳大利亚夫妇进行的激励委托实验的结果。参与者被要求完成 FDM 任务，他们可以选择独立完成或委托给配偶。研究发现，女性将权力委托给配偶的几率比男性高出近 25 倍。授权中的这种性别差异不能用经济能力、教育、年龄或认知状态的差异来解释。配偶的经济能力越高，授权的可能性就越大。可以选择有选择地委派的个人比那些只能不可撤销地委派的人更频繁、更早地进行委派。我们的证据表明，性别规范和控制在老年夫妇的 FDM 授权中发挥着主导作用，并且可以凌驾于专业化或效率考虑之上。