Divorce Laws and Divorce Rate in the U.S

Stefania Marcassa

No 2013-06, THEMA Working Papers from THEMA (THéorie Economique, Modélisation et Applications), Université de Cergy-Pontoise

Abstract: At the end of 1960s, the U.S. divorce law underwent major changes and the divorce rate almost doubled in all of the states. This paper shows that changes in property division, alimony transfers,and child custody assignments account for a substantial share of the increase in the divorce rate,especially for young, college educated couples with children. I solve and calibrate a model where agents make decisions on their marital status, savings, and labor supply. Under the new financial settlements, divorced men gain from a higher share of property, while women gain from an increase in alimony and child support transfers. The introduction of the unilateral decision to divorce has limited effects.

Keywords: Age-specific divorce rate; unilateral and consensual divorce; divorce laws; property division; alimony and child support; child custody (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D13 J12 K36 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dem and nep-law
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Divorce laws and divorce rate in the US (2013)
Working Paper: Divorce Laws and Divorce Rate in the U.S (2013)
Working Paper: Divorce laws and divorce rate in the US (2013)
Working Paper: Divorce laws and divorce rate in the US (2013)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ema:worpap:2013-06

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