ABSTRACT
Although the century-long increase in divorce rates stabilized in the mid-1980s, high levels of divorce appear to be an established aspect of family structure in the United States. Of all first marriages, 20% end after 5 years and 33% end after 10 years (Bramlett & Mosher, 2001). Levels of relationship instability are also high in cohabiting unions: About 50% of cohabiting unions end within 5 years, including cohabiting unions that became marriages (Bumpass & Lu, 2000). Concern about high levels of union instability and increasing numbers of children growing up outside of marriage has spurred polemical debates about the causes and consequences of marital dissolution. Much attention has focused on the changing nature of men’s and women’s economic roles within marriage and their relationship with union dissolution and well-being outside of marriage. A large body of research documents the economic, psychological, and social gains associated with marriage (see Waite, 1995, 2000 for reviews), although the causal relationship of marriage with these positive outcomes is the subject of some dispute. Nonetheless, empirical evidence indicates that economic well-being and marital status are intertwined: Women and children are economically vulnerable outside of marriage. Moreover, contrary to conventional wisdom, recent research also indicates that many men experience economic losses after divorce.
