In sickness and in health: An exploration of spousal support and occupational similarity

Abstract

While spousal support has been shown to be related to physical and mental well-being, little research has examined how this source of support may differ depending on whether couples share the same occupation. Using data from 790 law firm lawyers, this study explores the relationships between spousal support and lawyers' mental and physical health with particular attention to those with spouses employed in the same occupation. The results indicate that some combinations of spouse's occupation and gender are related to the amount of spousal support received and the association between spousal support and lawyers' health. Specifically, spousal support is positively related to men's physical health if they are married to a non-lawyer, whereas spousal support is positively related to women's physical health if they are married to a lawyer. We conclude by proposing that future research might explore whether there are gender differences in the expectations that men and women place on the amount of support they receive from their spouses, how stressful the spouse's occupation is as well as the content of the support being provided by one's spouse in order to better understand the complex relationships between spousal support and health.

Keywords:

• spousal support
• social support
• health
• well-being
• occupational similarity
• professionals

Acknowledgements

This study was funded by a research grant from the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). The opinions contained in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of LSAC.