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Research ArticleArticles

Why Have Divorce Rates Fallen?: The Role of Women’s Age at Marriage

Dana Rotz
Journal of Human Resources, October 2016, 51 (4) 961-1002; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.51.4.0214-6224R
Dana Rotz
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Abstract

American divorce rates rose from the 1950s to the 1970s peaked around 1980, and have fallen ever since. The mean age at marriage also substantially increased after 1970. I explore the extent to which the rise in age at marriage can explain the decrease in divorce rates for cohorts marrying after 1980 using data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation, 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, and National Survey of Family Growth. Three different empirical approaches suggest that the increase in women’s age at marriage is the main proximate cause of the fall in divorce rates.

  • Received February 2014.
  • Accepted May 2015.
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Journal of Human Resources: 51 (4)
Journal of Human Resources
Vol. 51, Issue 4
2 Oct 2016
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Why Have Divorce Rates Fallen?: The Role of Women’s Age at Marriage
Dana Rotz
Journal of Human Resources Oct 2016, 51 (4) 961-1002; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.51.4.0214-6224R

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Why Have Divorce Rates Fallen?: The Role of Women’s Age at Marriage
Dana Rotz
Journal of Human Resources Oct 2016, 51 (4) 961-1002; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.51.4.0214-6224R
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  • Article
    • Abstract
    • I. Introduction
    • II. Age at Marriage and Divorce
    • III. Age at Marriage vs. Selection into Marriage
    • IV. The Impact of Age at Marriage on Divorce
    • V. Causal Pathways Between the Gains to Marriage, Age at Marriage, and Divorce Rates
    • VI. Conclusion
    • Appendix 1 Data Sources
    • Footnotes
    • References
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