Couples, money and individualization

Abstract

A team made up by researches of Spain, Germany, Sweden and the USA are involved in a study about money, love and the processes of individualization. They do in depth 186 RESÚMENES interviews using a common manual and following the same analysis technique (content analysis and sequential analysis). They interview urban couples with children, childless couples, couples with a short relation (less than one year) and with stable relations (couples with 5year and couples with 10 or more years of relationship). The starting hypothesis postulates that modern couples lay upon two opposed elements: money and love. Love generates the couple relationship which is stabilized and strengthened when their individual money becomes common money. For women to assert one’s individuality within a family is a difficult task, as traditionally women dissolved their individuality in order to become part of the family commonality.