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Differences in Family Policies and the Intergenerational Transmission of Divorce

Author

Listed:
  • Henriette Engelhardt

    (Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg)

  • Heike Trappe

    (Universität Rostock)

  • Jaap Dronkers

    (Maastricht University)

Abstract

The intergenerational transmission of the risk of divorce is a well-known long-term effect of divorce that has been found in many Western societies. Less known is what effect different family policies and divorce laws have on the intergenerational transmission of divorce. In this paper, the division of Germany into two separate states from 1949 until 1990, with the consequent development of two very different family policies, is regarded as a natural experiment that enables us to investigate the effect of family policy on the mechanisms underlying the social inheritance of divorce. Data from respondents from the former East and West Germany participating in the German Life History Study are analyzed using multivariate event-history methods. The results indicate that the strength of the intergenerational divorce transmission, when adjusted for differences in divorce level, was lower in the East than in the West. Differences in religion, marriage age and timing of first birth, which are partial indicators of family policy, could explain this effect. Furthermore, we did find a tendency towards a reduction in the dynamics of divorce transmission over time, both in East Germany and in West Germany.

Suggested Citation

  • Henriette Engelhardt & Heike Trappe & Jaap Dronkers, 2002. "Differences in Family Policies and the Intergenerational Transmission of Divorce," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 6(11), pages 295-324.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:6:y:2002:i:11
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2002.6.11
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Elisabetta Ruspini, 1998. "Living on the Poverty Line. Lone Mothers in Belgium, Germany, Great Britan, Italy and Sweden," MZES Working Papers 28, MZES.
    2. Nicholas Wolfinger, 1999. "Trends in the intergenerational transmission of divorce," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 36(3), pages 415-420, August.
    3. Thomas A. DiPrete, 2001. "Life Course Risks, Mobility Regimes, and Mobility Consequences: A Comparison of Sweden, Germany and the U.S," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 255, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
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    Cited by:

    1. Borgna, Camilla & Struffolino, Emanuela, 2018. "Unpacking Configurational Dynamics: Sequence Analysis and Qualitative Comparative Analysis as a Mixed-Method Design," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, pages 167-184.
    2. Necker, Sarah & Voskort, Andrea, 2013. "The evolution of German's values since reunification," Freiburg Discussion Papers on Constitutional Economics 13/13, Walter Eucken Institut e.V..
    3. Nicholas Wolfinger, 2011. "More Evidence for Trends in the Intergenerational Transmission of Divorce: A Completed Cohort Approach Using Data From the General Social Survey," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 48(2), pages 581-592, May.
    4. Shelly Lundberg, 2012. "Personality and marital surplus," IZA Journal of Labor Economics, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 1(1), pages 1-21, December.
    5. Thalberg, Sara, 2003. "Demographic Patterns in Europe. A review of Austria, Germany, The Netherlands, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania," Arbetsrapport 2003:8, Institute for Futures Studies.
    6. Anna Christina D'Addio, 2007. "Intergenerational Transmission of Disadvantage: Mobility or Immobility Across Generations?," OECD Social, Employment and Migration Working Papers 52, OECD Publishing.
    7. Sergi Vidal & Philipp M. Lersch & Marita Jacob & Karsten Hank, 2020. "Interdependencies in Mothers’ and Daughters’ Work-Family Life Course Trajectories: Similar but Different?," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 57(4), pages 1483-1511, August.
    8. Stefan Bauernschuster & Helmut Rainer, 2012. "Political regimes and the family: how sex-role attitudes continue to differ in reunified Germany," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 25(1), pages 5-27, January.
    9. Andreas Diekmann & Henriette Engelhardt, 2002. "Alter der Kinder bei Ehescheidung der Eltern und soziale Vererbung des Scheidungsrisikos," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2002-044, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    10. Pamela Campa & Michel Serafinelli, 2016. "Politico-Economic Regimes And Attitudes: Female Workers Under State-Socialism Abstract: This paper investigates the extent to which attitudes are affected by political regimes and government policies.," Working Papers 089, "Carlo F. Dondena" Centre for Research on Social Dynamics (DONDENA), Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi.
    11. Daniele Vignoli & Irene Ferro, 2009. "Rising marital disruption in Italy and its correlates," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 20(4), pages 11-36.
    12. Fabrizio Bernardi & Jonas Radl, 2014. "The long-term consequences of parental divorce for children’s educational attainment," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 30(61), pages 1653-1680.
    13. Bowmaker, Simon W. & Emerson, Patrick M., 2009. "Still Waiting for Mister Right? Asymmetric Information, Abortion Laws and the Timing of Marriage," IZA Discussion Papers 4176, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    family policy; divorce risk; intergenerational transmission of divorce risk;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

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