The effect of equal division of property regime on subjective health, psychological well-being and investments in health capital

Abstract

This thesis analyses the effects of different marital property regimes on health, well-being and health related behavior. In particular, it provides an empirical assessment of the effects of a change from a separate property regime towards a more equal distribution of matrimonial assets on subjective health, psychological well-being and investments in health capital, using the variance occurring after a decision by the English House of Lords in 2000. I use a Difference-in-Difference approach, taking advantage of the panel structure of the British Household Panel Survey. Results show that neither wives nor husbands experience higher self-assessed health status or psychological well-being after the reform. The results are mixed with regards to wives' investment choices in health, where the empirical analysis suggests that wives substitute leisure time devoted to training activities for health services including physiotherapy and psychotherapy. However, the results are not robust over different model specifications.