The Effects of Post-marital Childbearing on Divorce and Remarriage

An Application of Hazards Models with Time-dependent Covariates

Bibliographic Data

ID7979928
AuthorsC M Suchindran (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Helen P Koo (RTI International), Janet D Griffith (0000-0002-8357-8689, RTI International)
Year1985
Volume39
Issue3
Pages471-486
Publication date1985-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenuePopulation Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0032-4728 • E-ISSN: 1477-4747
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/0032472031000141636
OpenAlexW1965189453
LanguageEN
Citations received9

In this paper we examine the effects of having a baby during a period of separation on the probability of divorce, and the impact of bearing a child while divorced on the likelihood of remarriage in the United States. Among whites, neither a first nor a second birth during separation had any significant effect on the probability of divorce. Among blacks, either a first or second birth significantly increased the chance of divorce. The function of post-marital childbearing among black women as an incentive to obtaining divorces (presumably to allow them to establish new unions formally) is important, because a large proportion remain separated indefinitely. Whereas the occurrence of both first and second births during divorce significantly increased the probability of remarriage among whites, only a second birth did so among blacks. Further analysis suggests that while the legitimization of births was an important factor among whites, there was little evidence of a comparable effect among blacks

Economics · Incentive · Marital status · Population · Remarriage · Sociology · Demographic Trends and Gender Preferences · Demography · Family Dynamics and Relationships · Gender, Labor, and Family Dynamics · Psychology

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