Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1517916
26 Unity SUNDAY 24 MARCH 2024 Family, community, work Nadia Abdilla M.Phil./Ph.D. Candidate Department of Gender and Sexualities AS the Maltese expression goes, 'mill-bieb 'il ġewwa' – "behind closed doors" – what happens at home stays at home. Many a time no one dares mention the management of a couple's household finances. The topic of money in marriage is considered to be a personal topic. Its inti- mate nature and secretive aura make it even harder to research and delve into, than say, a cou- ple's sexual relations. In other words, money in marriage re- mains taboo! The household is, most of the time, understood as a unit in itself, with little or no consider- ation given to the fact that it is the individuals who really make up what we call 'the household'. At the end of the day, it is the in- dividuals who bring their salary home and not the household. Such a unitary approach of the notion of the household nearly automatically entails the equal sharing of resources but in real- ity, what this does is risk leaving internal realities and struggles among married couples un- known. Each partner enters into mar- riage bringing with them their own particular baggage. The re- alities behind household finan- cial decision-making and a cou- ple's negotiating strategies about 'their' money are a reflection of the ideologies each partner holds: a reflection of the baggage they carry along. The individual's socio-cultural background plays a significant role in this matter and it is there- fore essential to contextualise this phenomenon. In a small, Mediterranean island like Malta, familial traits with closely-knit extended family ties, coupled with the deeply-rooted influence of religion, traditional norms and patriarchal ideologies, con- tinue to be heavily present. Moreover, legislation and na- tional policies also have an im- pact on how marital roles and responsibilities are perceived, both by the couple themselves, one's extended family and also possibly by the community they form part of. For example, car- ing responsibilities and percep- tions of the breadwinner role are central to the understanding of gendered responsibilities in marriage. The personal is there- fore also political. Personal and structural elements are so inter- twined that the socially-repro- duced gendered, stereotypical expectations greatly shape be- havioural patterns. The way a married couple looks at its own financial affairs is not immune to this. The concept of money extends beyond its mon- etary value. It is also socially constructed and the value indi- viduals attribute to money varies from one person to another. This same social meaning giv- en to money is then reflected in a couples' financial negotiat- ing practices – even if at times through latent power dynamics. Beneath what we may consid- er as 'normal' practices, there lies a more complex layer of sense-making. In fact, looking closely at the money-manage- ment system adopted by couples may mirror a couple's gendered practices and even more so re- veal underlying gendered pow- er dynamics present within the household. More pertinent inquiries con- cerning the issue of equality in fi- nancial decision-making include determining who has control and who manages the money at home. While control and man- agement are sometimes used interchangeably closer examina- tion reveals that real power rests predominantly with control. Marriage is not, however, a one-sided, unitary, automati- cally egalitarian reality, and it is best understood as a partner- ship having therefore, the 'indi- vidual' and the 'shared' reality which brings about a more com- plex dynamic of financial deci- sion-making in marriage. With an interest in gender equality, women's empower- ment and social reproduction, I am currently carrying out MPhil./PhD. research that fo- cuses on the unearthing of un/ equal financial decision-making practices among married cou- ples and the extent of women's financial control and independ- ence in such relationships. This study seeks to understand gen- dered power dynamics among early career, dual-earner, heter- osexual married couples in Mal- ta. Understanding the lived ex- periences and gendered power dynamics requires addressing this issue from a critical angle. Adopting a feminist lens, turns the focus on to the participants' own subjective standpoints and further deconstructs the idea of the household and the family as a 'harmonised' unit. Furthermore, this research considers the interplay between the personal and structural fac- tors and how ideologies go on to influence a couple's financial decisions. This research does not seek to reach generalised conclu- sions. Employing a feminist, bottom-up approach facilitates a more profound comprehen- sion of the participants' financial decision-making and the under- lying reasons influencing their perspectives on the negotiating practices on the money-man- agement system adopted. Behind closed doors: the realities behind household financial decision-making Caring responsibilities and perceptions of the breadwinner role are central to the understanding of gendered responsibilities in marriage. The personal is therefore also political Looking closely at the money-management system adopted by couples may mirror a couple's gendered practices and even more so reveal underlying gendered power dynamics present within the household