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Repartnering Following Gray Divorce: The Roles of Resources and Constraints for Women and Men

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  • Susan L. Brown

    (Bowling Green State University)

  • I-Fen Lin

    (Bowling Green State University)

  • Anna M. Hammersmith

    (Grand Valley State University)

  • Matthew R. Wright

    (Arkansas State University)

Abstract

The doubling of the gray divorce rate (i.e., divorce at age 50 or older) over the past few decades portends growth in later-life repartnering, yet little is known about the mechanisms undergirding decisions to repartner after gray divorce. Using data from the 1998–2014 Health and Retirement Study, we examined women’s and men’s likelihoods of forming a remarriage or cohabiting union following gray divorce by estimating competing risk multinomial logistic regression models using discrete-time event history data. About 22 % of women and 37 % of men repartnered within 10 years after gray divorce. Repartnering more often occurred through cohabitation than remarriage, particularly for men. Resources such as economic factors, health, and social ties were linked to repartnering, but constraints captured by the contours of the marital biography were also salient, underscoring the distinctive features of union formation in later life.

Suggested Citation

  • Susan L. Brown & I-Fen Lin & Anna M. Hammersmith & Matthew R. Wright, 2019. "Repartnering Following Gray Divorce: The Roles of Resources and Constraints for Women and Men," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 56(2), pages 503-523, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:demogr:v:56:y:2019:i:2:d:10.1007_s13524-018-0752-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s13524-018-0752-x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Sheela Kennedy & Steven Ruggles, 2014. "Breaking Up Is Hard to Count: The Rise of Divorce in the United States, 1980–2010," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 51(2), pages 587-598, April.
    2. Catherine B. McNamee & R. Kelly Raley, 2011. "A note on race, ethnicity and nativity differentials in remarriage in the United States," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 24(13), pages 293-312.
    3. Jonathan Vespa, 2012. "Union Formation in Later Life: Economic Determinants of Cohabitation and Remarriage Among Older Adults," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 49(3), pages 1103-1125, August.
    4. Susan L. Brown & Matthew R. Wright, 2016. "Editor's choice Older Adults’ Attitudes Toward Cohabitation: Two Decades of Change," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 71(4), pages 755-764.
    5. Susan L Brown & I-Fen Lin & Anna M Hammersmith & Matthew R Wright, 2018. "Later Life Marital Dissolution and Repartnership Status: A National Portrait," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 73(6), pages 1032-1042.
    6. Susan L. Brown & Gary R. Lee & Jennifer Roebuck Bulanda, 2006. "Cohabitation Among Older Adults: A National Portrait," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 61(2), pages 71-79.
    7. Susan L. Brown & I-Fen Lin, 2012. "The Gray Divorce Revolution: Rising Divorce Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults, 1990-2010," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 67(6), pages 731-741.
    8. Valerie Oppenheimer, 2003. "Cohabiting and marriage during young men’s career-development process," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 40(1), pages 127-149, February.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Zuzana Žilinčíková & Christine Schnor, 2021. "Who moves out and who keeps the home? Short-term and medium-term mobility consequences of grey divorce in Belgium," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 45(9), pages 291-328.
    3. Tosi, Marco & van den Broek, Thijs, 2020. "Gray divorce and mental health in the United Kingdom," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 256(C).
    4. Haoming Song, 2022. "Women’s Divergent Union Transitions After Marital Dissolution in the United States," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(3), pages 953-980, June.
    5. Philipp M. Lersch, 2023. "Change in Personal Culture over the Life Course," American Sociological Review, , vol. 88(2), pages 220-251, April.
    6. Shinae L. Choi & Deborah Carr, 2023. "Older Adults’ Relationship Trajectories and Estate Planning," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 44(2), pages 356-372, June.
    7. Léa Cimelli & Carole Bonnet & Anne Solaz, 2024. "Do late-life divorces produce greater gender inequalities? Evidence from administrative data," Working Papers 292, French Institute for Demographic Studies.

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