关键词: 女性家庭地位, 幸福感, 传统文化规范, 中国家庭追踪调查(CFPS)

Abstract: It is widely believed that the higher the family status a woman has, the happier she is. However, using the China Family Panel Studies ( CFPS) data, based on the ordinal response model and conditional mixed process method, we find that women’s possession of decision-making power on family affairs does not necessarily improve their happiness. Sub-sample regression analysis shows that for women with either less education or more restriction from strong external traditional norms, women’s family decision-making power has a particularly significant negative effect on their happiness. The finding has important implications for future research on individual happiness. Only when social backgrounds such as external cultural norms are taken into account can the direction of the happiness effect of family decision-making power be finally confirmed. In addition, the finding that traditional cultural norms still dominate women’s happiness also provides an argument basis for government departments to formulate policies dedicated to empowering women.

Key words: Women’s Family Status, Happiness, Traditional Social Norms, CFPS