Do Individuals Born into Households Without a Male Breadwinner Experience Worse Life Outcomes? The Case of Urban Spain

Abstract The aim of this article is to assess whether growing up in a household that deviated from the male-breadwinner norm had negative consequences across lifespan. To explore this question, we analyze individual-level microdata for men born in the period 1886–1908 from the city of Zaragoza (Spain), focusing on their height, health status at age 21 years, and adult lifespan. Our results confirm that individuals born in households without a male-breadwinner model were, on average, almost 1 cm shorter, had a 25 percent higher likelihood of health problems at age 21 years, and experienced approximately 1 year shorter lifespan.