Authoritarian and egalitarian monetary decision-making in the Maltese family : a study of married couples in two local towns

Abstract

The family is a very important institution in Malta. The present study aims to analyse such an institution from a monetary perspective. It will investigate whether monetary decisions reflect an authoritative trend within the family structure or a more egalitarian and democratic trend. Previous studies on this issue are consulted to derive hypotheses that are tested in this quantitative research. Married couples aged thirty to sixty years old are chosen from two comparable towns in Malta to participate in this research. The findings of this dissertation show whether the Maltese family under study is still characterised by an authoritative figure or is moving towards an egalitarian structure.