The Effect of Children on Men’s and Women’s Chances of Re-partnering in a European Context

Abstract

This work examines what role children play in the re-partnering process in five European countries (Norway, France, Germany, Romania, and the Russian Federation) by addressing the following research questions: (1) To what extent do men and women differ in their re-partnering chances?; (2) Can gender differences in re-partnering be explained by the presence of children?; (3) How do the custodial arrangements and the child's age affect the re-partnering chances of men and women? We use the partnership and parenthood histories of the participants in the first wave of the Generations and Gender Survey (United Nations, Generations and Gender Programme: Survey Instruments. United Nations, New York/Geneva, 2005) to examine the transition to moving in with a new partner following the dissolution of the first marital union, separately for men and women. The story that emerges is one of similarities in the effects rather than differences. In most countries, men are more likely to re-partner than women. This gender difference can be attributed to the presence of children as our analyses show that childless men and women do not differ in their probability to re-partner. Mothers with resident children are less likely to re-partner than non-mothers and a similar though often non-significant effect of resident children is observed for fathers. In most countries we find that as the child ages, the chances to enter a new union increase. In sum, our study indicates that children are an important factor in re-partnering and a contributor to the documented gender gap in re-partnering, and this holds throughout distinct institutional and cultural settings. -013-9294-5 Résumé Cet article étudie le rôle joué par les enfants dans la formation d'une nouvelle union dans cinq pays européens (Norvège, France, Allemagne, Roumanie et la Fédération de Russie) en tentant de répondre aux questions de recherche suivantes (1) dans quelle mesure les probabilités des hommes et des femmes de former une nouvelle union diffèrent-elles ? (2) la présence d'enfants peut-elle expliquer les différences de genre dans ce domaine ? (3) Les dispositions relatives à la garde de l'enfant et l'âge de l'enfant ont-ils un impact sur les probabilités d'une nouvelle union pour les hommes et pour les femmes ? Les histoires des unions et les histoires parentales des participants à la première vague des enquêtes Générations et Genre (GGS, Nations Unies ?, 2005) ont été utilisées pour étudier la transition vers une nouvelle union après la dissolution du premier mariage pour les hommes et pour les femmes séparément. Les résultats montrent des effets semblables plutôt que divergents. Dans la plupart des pays, les hommes ont des probabilités de former une nouvelle union plus élevées que les femmes. Cette différence de genre peut être attribuée à la présence d'enfants car nos analyses montrent que les probabilités d'une nouvelle union des hommes et des femmes sans enfant sont similaires. Les mères dont les enfants vivent avec elles sont moins susceptibles de fo...

Non-resident parent-child contact after marital dissolution and parental repartnering: Evidence from Italy

“…For example, we cannot control for contact before repartnering; indeed, we cannot exclude that the investment in children expressed through contact influences the risk of repartnering itself, as found by studies analyzing the effect of parental status or custody arrangements on the risk of a post-divorce union (Ivanova, Kalmijin, and Uunk 2013). In addition, we lack some information (characteristics of non-resident parent or her/his new family, shared custody).…”

Las parejas reconstituidas en España: un fenómeno emergente con perfiles heterogéneos

“…Ciertos elementos condicionan la entrada en una nueva unión en un mercado matrimonial que, por defi nición, es más restringido (Cabré, 1993) y en el que el incremento del capital cultural de la mujer ha cambiado las reglas del juego (Bavel, 2012). El principal factor que se asocia con una reducción de las probabilidades de volverse a unir es la existencia de hijos (Coleman et al, 2000;Beaujouan, 2012), especialmente para las mujeres (Ivanova et al, 2013). Su presencia juega un papel importante en términos de la necesidad de conseguir pareja, el atractivo del progenitor en el mercado matrimonial y las oportunidades que tiene de conocer posibles parejas (Becker, 1987).…”

“…There are certain factors that influence the entry into a new union in a marriage market that has clearly become more restrictive (Cabré, 1993), and in which the increase in the cultural capital of the woman has changed the rules of the game (Bavel, 2012). The main factor associated with a reduction in the chances of having a partner again is the existence of children (Coleman et al, 2000;Beaujouan, 2012), especially for women (Ivanova et al, 2013). Having children plays a major role in the need to find a new partner, the parent's attractiveness in the marriage market, and the opportunities for meeting new potential partners (Becker, 1987).…”

The socioeconomic determinants of repartnering after divorce or separation in Belgium

“…Divorced parents are less likely to form a (married or cohabiting) relationship than divorcees without children (Bumpass, Sweet, and Castro-Martin 1990;Chiswick and Lehrer 1990). However, children have been shown to affect women's and men's likelihood of repartnering somewhat differently (Coleman, Ganong, and Fine 2000;Poortman 2007;Wu and Schimmele 2005;de Graaf and Kalmijn 2003;Ivanova, Kalmijn, and Uunk 2013;Beaujouan 2012;. Research shows that mothers are less likely to repartner than those who are not mothers, with varying effects according to the number and ages of children.…”