Employment Status, Working Hours and Happiness Among Married Women and Men: Panel Evidence from Taiwan

This study investigates whether the subjective well-being of married men and women is influenced by their own and their spouses’ employment status and working hours. Using longitudinal data from a panel survey from Taiwan and employing fixed-effects modeling, the analysis examines how employment status and working hours, including overtime, affect happiness. The findings reveal that part-time employment, while potentially more compatible with family responsibilities, does not enhance happiness for wives. In contrast, normative full-time or moderate overtime is positively associated with their happiness. Among women in the younger cohort, happiness is largely unaffected by their husbands’ employment status or working hours, whereas for those in the older cohort, husbands’ non-employment is negatively associated with wives’ happiness. For married men across cohorts, happiness is strongly associated with holding a job, regardless of working hours. Furthermore, for men from both cohorts, happiness is not correlated with their spouses’ employment status or working hours. This study offers important insights into the changing relationship between work and subjective well-being in marriage, underscoring generational differences in work patterns and their implications for subjective well-being.