This WSJ article by Viviana Zelizer summarizes some studies and funding practices that favor assistance to mothers over fathers in order to encourage better decisions about spending.  Why do women make better decisions?  Is it biology, socialized, or are women held to a higher moral standard and judged more harshly about their spending than men?  As the article points out, we really do not know if this pattern changes when men are responsible for children.  The notion that women are frivolous about spending and all the jokes about men having to “control” their wives spending are called into question by this research.  Articles like this make me realize how little we really know about why gender differences exist and what kinds of things cause men and women to look and behave more alike.

Fran

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