The dynamic relationships between union dissolution and women’s employment: A life-history analysis of 16 countries

Political economy of family life: couple’s earnings, welfare regime and union dissolution

“…As also found in earlier studies (Henz and Jonsson 2003;Kalmijn et al 2007;van Damme and Kalmijn 2014;Poortman and Lyngstad, 2007), marriage decreases the probability of separation compared to cohabitation across all regimes. In the conservative regime the main effect of women's education has a negative effect on union dissolution; namely, highly educated wives are less likely to exit the relationship, as found in previous studies (De Graaf and Kalmijn 2006;Kaplan and Herbst 2015;Matysiak, Styrc and Vignoli 2014).…”

“…State responsibility for welfare apparently lessens the dependence of family behavior on material market resources. At the same time, in regimes that support women's employment, women's earnings are less important with regard to separation, in keeping with the recent findings of van Damme and Kalmijn (2014).…”

“…Rather, like Cooke and her colleagues (2013) in their recent study, we found that, in regimes supportive of women's employment, and especially where defamilialization is substantial, partners' equality of earnings serves as an equalization mechanism. Hence this study joins a growing body of literature that highlights theoretically and empirically the conditions under which the economic theory of divorce operates (Blossfeld and Muller 2002;Cooke and Gash 2010;Cooke et al 2013;Iversen et al 2005;Kalmijn et al 2007;Poortman and Kalmijn 2002;Sayer and Bianchi 2000;van Damme and Kalmijn 2014;Weisshaar 2014). It also supports the institutional M A N U S C R I P T A C C E P T E D ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT 34 approach regarding economic resources and divorce (Blossfeld and Muller 2002;Cooke 2006;Cooke and Gash 2010;Cooke et al 2013;Harkonen and Dronkers 2006;van Damme and Kalmijn 2014).…”

“…Recently, several studies have focused on the institutional level in general, and on the role of the state in particular, in shaping the effect of economic resources on the likelihood of divorce (Blossfeld and Muller 2002;Cooke 2006;Cooke and Gash 2010;Cooke et al 2013;Harkonen and Dronkers 2006;van Damme and Kalmijn 2014).…”

“…Recent research in a variety of European countries provides evidence of the role of the state and its institutions in shaping the effect of economic resources on M A N U S C R I P T A C C E P T E D ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT 10 family behavior (e.g., Blossfeld and Muller 2002;;Chan and Halpin 2003;Cooke 2004;Cooke and Gash 2010;Cooke et al 2013;De Graaf and Kalmijn 2006;Kalmijn et al 2007;van Damme and Kalmijn 2014). However, only a few studies took a comparative perspective, and only Harkonen and Dronkers (2006) and van Damme and Kalmijn (2014) tested directly the effect of country characteristics on the relation of women's education to the risk of union dissolution. In the current research we add to this knowledge by focusing on how institutional arrangements mediate the relations between couples' earnings dependence and the stability of their relationship.…”