The Impact of a Wife's Education on Her Husband's Earnings in Malaysia

Abstract

Researchers have studied the effect of a wife's education on her husband's earnings for married couples in the United States, Hong Kong, Israel, Iran, and Brazil. We study how a wife's years ofschooling affect her husband's earnings in Malaysia. Using a longitudinal sample from the Malaysian Family Life Surveys, we find that a wife's education has a positive and statistically significant impact on her husband's earnings. The magnitude is similar to studies ofother countries. OUf results suggest that policies in developing countries that increase women's education could have positive effects for families beyond the women's own Jabor force participation and earnings, (J1, 05)