HS-Gallup: Most Finns would divide income equally between spouses

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According to a survey commissioned by Helsingin Sanomat and conducted by Suomen Gallup, 54 per cent of Finns suggest that in principle the spouse who earns more should divide his or her earnings equally with the other spouse.
      However, more than one-third of respondents have certain reservations about the suggestion.
      Particularly the elderly and pensioners are in favour of equalization, while in the age group of under 25-year-olds the idea is supported only by half of respondents.
      The results did not indicate any significant gender difference.
     
Professor Terhi-Anna Wilska from the Turku School of Economics regards the proportion of those with certain reservations as surprisingly high.
      ”This would mean that one of the spouses has a distinctly higher standard of living than does the other”, says Wilska.
      However, reportedly such a standard of living gap does not exist in Finnish families. Finances are shared, even though it may not be done by giving the spouse some cash in hand or by paying some money into his or her bank account.
      ”The one who earns more takes care of most payments”, Wilska reports.
     
According to Wilska, this does not mean that the one who pays more decides how the income is used.
      At least in families with children, spouses normally reach a mutual understanding relating to financial decisions, indicated a survey conducted by the National Consumer Research Centre last year.
      One of the researchers was Wilska.
      However, decision-making on purchases is apparently gender-driven. Men have a decisive role when buying a car, while women focus on purchases relating to the home.
     
In Wilska’s view, the items in which men and boys are interested, are frequently regarded as being more useful from the family’s point of view, while women’s purchases can be labelled as less important.
      ”For example aesthetic consumption can easily be regarded as vanity”, Wilska notes.
     
The purpose of the survey was to study various views regarding families’ use of money as well as opinions on whether or not one’s spouse’s income should have an effect on income transfers or taxation.
      According to the survey, 62 per cent of Finns reject the so-called joint taxation model. Men appeared to support the model more than did women.
      Among the five largest political parties, the Centre Party took the most favourable attitude toward the joint taxation, while the least favourable attitudes were found among the Left Alliance voters.
      Around half of the respondents think that the spouse’s earnings should be taken into account when granting transfer payments. However, the well-off individuals tend to oppose the idea more frequently than the average.
     
The survey was conducted between August 13th and 28th. A total of 1,500 telephone interviews were completed, representing the Finnish population aged 15 or over, excluding those in the Åland Islands.
      The margin of error in the survey is three percentage points in either direction.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Majority of Finnish couples have joint finances (8.9.2008)
  NEWS ANALYSIS: Stopping growth in tax progression would be something new (26.8.2008)

Links:
  Tax Administration
  National Consumer Research Centre

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