The First Cut is the Deepest? The Role of the Relationship Career for Union Formation

Abstract

Using retrospective data from the survey Divorce in the Netherlands 1998, I examine the influence of the relationship career on chances of union formation. Frailty models accounting for unobserved heterogeneity show that previous union experiences reduce chances of union formation. Furthermore, formerly married persons are less likely to enter a new union than former cohabiters, and so are people who had short-lived prior unions or had children. Findings also indicate that the first cut is the deepest. Union formation probabilities drop substantially after the first union dissolves but remain constant after subsequent break-ups. Finally, the impact of prior union experiences on subsequent union formation is generally found to be stronger for women than men.

The socioeconomic determinants of repartnering after divorce or separation in Belgium

“…Here, in contrast to existing literature (Poortman 2007;Wu and Schimmele 2005;Skew, Evans, and Gray 2009), results show that divorcees are more likely to repartner than former cohabiters are and these results are robust even when interaction effects are added. So we conclude that the fourth hypothesis has to be rejected.…”

“…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. Findings as regards men's likelihood of repartnering are more mixed (Coleman, Ganong, and Fine 2000;Poortman 2007;Wu and Schimmele 2005;de Graaf and Kalmijn 2003;Lampard and Peggs 1999;Sweeney 2002). Indicators about parenthood will be included in each model as control variables.…”

“…People who have previously been married have a lower likelihood of repartnering than those who have only cohabited (Poortman 2007;Wu and Schimmele 2005). Skew and colleagues (2009) added more detail to these findings.…”

“…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.…”

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

“…Yet, this likelihood to re-partner and the time between divorce and new partnership can vary greatly between individuals (Coleman et al 2000). For example, women have consistently been shown to fare worse off than men on the re-partnering market, with lower overall re-partnering chances and longer time between separation and next union (e.g., Coleman et al 2000;de Graaf and Kalmijn 2003;Meggiolaro and Ongaro 2008;Poortman 2007;Skew et al 2009;Wu and Schimmele 2005). In fact, it has even been noted that ''gender is the most crucial determinant in the re-partnering process'' (Wu and Schimmele 2005, p. 27) and a number of factors have been suggested as contributing this gender gap (e.g., women benefiting less from partnerships than men and earlier relationship history; Skew et al 2009).…”