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Her House, His Pension? The Division of Assets Among (Ex-) Couples and the Role of Policy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 December 2011

Ricky Joseph  and
Karen Rowlingson
Ricky Joseph
Affiliation:
Institute of Applied Social Studies, The University of Birmingham E-mail: [email protected]
Karen Rowlingson
Affiliation:
Institute of Applied Social Studies, The University of Birmingham E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Despite increasing interest in household assets and debts, little is known about the way these are distributed and controlled within couples. Our understanding of these issues is important in social policy not least because some areas of policy (e.g. social security means-tests) assume that all couples, whether married/civil partnered or not, share assets equally, whereas other areas of policy, such as the law around intestacy or separation/divorce, make very different assumptions about married/civil partnered couples compared with cohabiting couples. But is there a difference between these couples or not? And are the assumptions made about each type of couple accurate? Our research suggests that the division of assets within couples is complex with formal, legal ownership of assets (housing, pensions, savings) and debts not always matching participants’ ‘perceptions’ of who owns them. And while there does seem to be a difference between cohabiting and married couples, there is also variation within these couples as other factors also influence the division of assets.

Keywords

Household assetsdebtcouplesdecision-making
Type
Themed Section on Household Finances under Pressure: What is the Role of Social Policy?
Information
Social Policy and Society , Volume 11 , Issue 1 , January 2012 , pp. 69 - 80
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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