Economic Self-Interest and Spirituality in Household Decision-Making: The Influence of Education and Economic Conditions on the Quality of the Husband-Wife Relationship
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Educational background and household economic conditions may influence marital relationship quality through differences in financial decision-making and individual economic interests. However, the role of economic egoism in explaining these relationships remains insufficiently explored among married lecturers in Indonesia. This study aimed to examine the influence of educational background and household economic conditions on marital relationship quality, with economic egoism as a mediating variable. A quantitative explanatory design was employed, involving 60 married lecturers selected through purposive sampling from public and private higher education institutions in South Kalimantan, Indonesia. Primary data were collected using structured questionnaires with a five-point Likert scale and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The results showed that educational background and household economic conditions had positive and significant effects on economic egoism, while economic egoism had a negative and significant effect on marital relationship quality. Furthermore, economic egoism significantly mediated the relationships of educational background and household economic conditions with marital relationship quality. Specifically, the indirect effect of household economic conditions on marital relationship quality was −0.156 (t = 2.729, p = 0.006). These findings highlight economic egoism as an important behavioral mechanism linking household economic circumstances and educational background to marital relationship quality. The study contributes to family economics research by integrating educational, economic, and behavioral perspectives and offers practical insights for promoting collaborative financial decision-making and harmonious marital relationships.
Downloads
Article Details
Section
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
Ahmed, H., & Salleh, A. M. (2023). Moral economy and Islamic household behavior: Integrating spirituality into economic decision-making. International Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Finance and Management, 16(3), (2023) PP 451–468.
Browning, M., Chiappori, P.-A., & Weiss, Y. (2022). Economics of the family (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press
Chiappori, P.-A., & Meghir, C. (2021). Intrahousehold inequality. Journal of Political Economy, 129(5), (2021) PP 1–45.
Conger, R. D., Conger, K. J., & Martin, M. J. (2019). Socioeconomic status, family processes, and individual development. Journal of Marriage and Family, 82(1), (2019) PP 378–403.
Dew, J., Britt, S., & Huston, S. (2020). Examining the relationship between financial issues and divorce. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 41(1), (2020) PP 1–15.
Dew, J., & Xiao, J. J. (2021). Financial declines and relationship outcomes. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 42(1), (2021) PP 1-5.
Falconier, M. K., Jackson, J. B., Hilpert, P., & Bodenmann, G. (2021). Dyadic coping and relationship satisfaction: A meta-analysis. Journal of Family Psychology, 35(3), (2021) PP 345–356.
Falconier, M. K., & Kuhn, R. (2022). Dyadic stress and couple relationships: A contextual approach. Journal of Family Psychology, 36(2), (2022) PP 173–184.
Grossbard, S. (2021). Marriage and economic decision-making: A human capital perspective. Review of Economics of the Household, 19(3), (2021) PP 617–635.
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2021). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (3rd ed.). Sage Publications.
Kenny, D. A., Kashy, D. A., & Cook, W. L. (2020). Dyadic data analysis (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
Khan, F., & Bashir, A. (2024). Spiritual values and economic decision-making in Muslim families. Journal of Islamic Accounting and Business Research, 15(1), (2024) PP 78–95.
Lumbanraja, Tricia. (2024). Analysis of the Impact of Marital Status and Education on the Earnings of Female Workers in the Manufacturing Industry. Journal of Deelopment Economic and Social Studies Volume 3, Issue 3 (May. 2024) PP 748-762.
Mahdzan, N. S., Zainudin, R., & Shahri, N. K. (2020). Religiosity and household financial behavior: Evidence from Muslim households. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, 87, (2020) PP 10157.
Pahl, J., & Vogler, C. (2020). Financial management and inequality in couple relationships. Sociology, 54(1), (2020) PP 3–19.
Sarstedt, M., Hair, J. F., Cheah, J.-H., Becker, J.-M., & Ringle, C. M. (2020). How to specify, estimate, and validate higher-order constructs in PLS-SEM. Journal of Business Research, 117, (2020) PP 591–605.
Thaler, R. H. (2022). Behavioral economics: Past, present, and future. American Economic Review, 112(2), (2022) PP 1–18.
Vitell, S. J., Paolillo, J. G. P., & Singh, J. J. (2021). Religiosity and consumer ethics: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Business Ethics, 169(2), (2021) PP 1–15.
Widyastuti, Lina., at al. (2025). The Influence of Education Level and Household Expenditure on Family Income. Determinasi: Journal of Economics, Management, and Accounting Vol. 3, Issue 3 (September. 2025). PP 320-328.