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Stratified patterns of divorce

Author

Listed:
  • Amit Kaplan

    (Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo)

  • Anat Herbst-Debby

    (Bar-Ilan University)

Abstract

Background: Despite evidence that divorce has become more prevalent among weaker socioeconomic groups, knowledge about the stratification aspects of divorce in Israel is lacking. Moreover, although scholarly debate recognizes the importance of stratificational positions with respect to divorce, less attention has been given to the interactions between them. Objective: Our aim is to examine the relationship between social inequality and divorce, focusing on how household income, education, employment stability, relative earnings, and the intersection between them affect the risk of divorce in Israel. Methods: The data is derived from combined census files for 1995-2008, annual administrative employment records from the National Insurance Institute and the Tax Authority, and data from the Civil Registry of Divorce. We used a series of discrete-time event-history analysis models for marital dissolution. Results: Couples in lower socioeconomic positions had a higher risk of divorce in Israel. Higher education in general, and homogamy in terms of higher education (both spouses have degrees) in particular, decreased the risk of divorce. The wife’s relative earnings had a differential effect on the likelihood of divorce, depending on household income: a wife who outearned her husband increased the log odds of divorce more in the upper tertiles than in the lower tertile. Conclusions: Our study shows that divorce indeed has a stratified pattern and that weaker socioeconomic groups experience the highest levels of divorce. Gender inequality within couples intersects with the household’s economic and educational resources.

Suggested Citation

  • Amit Kaplan & Anat Herbst-Debby, 2015. "Stratified patterns of divorce," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 32(34), pages 949-982.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:32:y:2015:i:34
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2015.32.34
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    11. Elina Mäenpää & Marika Jalovaara, 2014. "Homogamy in socio-economic background and education, and the dissolution of cohabiting unions," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 30(65), pages 1769-1792.
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    Cited by:

    1. Monika Obersneider & Jan-Christoph Janssen & Michael Wagner, 2019. "Regional Sex Ratio and the Dissolution of Relationships in Germany," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 35(4), pages 825-849, October.
    2. Chunlan Guo & Jeremy Ko & Xiaoxian Chen & Chun Kai Leung, 2026. "When the Economy Breaks Down, Do Marriages Follow? Crisis Type and Family Dissolution across 83 Countries (1990–2019)," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 21(2), pages 615-641, April.
    3. Sorek, Yoa, 2020. "Grandparental and overall social support as resilience factors in coping with parental conflict among children of divorce," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    4. Lindsay Theunis & Christine Schnor & Didier Willaert & Jan Van Bavel, 2018. "His and Her Education and Marital Dissolution: Adding a Contextual Dimension," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 34(4), pages 663-687, October.
    5. Amit Kaplan & Anat Herbst-Debby, 2018. "Fragile Employment, Liquid Love: Employment Instability and Divorce in Israel," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 37(1), pages 1-31, February.
    6. Sandra Krapf & Michael Wagner, 2020. "Housing Affordability, Housing Tenure Status and Household Density: Are Housing Characteristics Associated with Union Dissolution?," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 36(4), pages 735-764, September.
    7. Miri Endeweld & Anat Herbst-Debby & Amit Kaplan, 2022. "Do the Privileged Always Win? Economic Consequences of Divorce by Income and Gender Groups," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 159(1), pages 77-100, January.
    8. Anat Herbst-Debby, 2023. "What’s Your Pension Story? Women’s Perspectives during the COVID-19 Pandemic on Their Old-Age Pension Status, Past and Present," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(10), pages 1-20, May.
    9. Sorek, Yoa, 2019. "Children of divorce evaluate their quality of life: The moderating effect of psychological processes," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    10. Seymour Spilerman & Kieron J. Barclay, 2020. "Birth order pairings and romantic success," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2020-017, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.

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

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