The Effect of Divorce Laws on Divorce Rates in Europe
33 Pages Posted: 21 Mar 2006
Date Written: March 2006
Abstract
This paper analyzes a panel of 18 European countries spanning from 1950 to 2003 to examine the extent to which the legal reforms leading to easier divorce that took place during the second half of the 20th century have contributed to the increase in divorce rates across Europe. We use a quasi-experimental set-up and exploit the different timing of the reforms in divorce laws across countries. We account for unobserved country-specific factors by introducing country fixed effects, and we include country-specific trends to control for time-varying factors at the country level that may be correlated with divorce rates and divorce laws, such as changing social norms or slow moving demographic trends. We find that the different reforms that made divorce easier were followed by significant increases in divorce rates. The effect of no-fault legislation was strong and permanent, while unilateral reforms only had a temporary effect on divorce rates. Overall, we estimate that the legal reforms account for about 20 percent of the increase in divorce rates in Europe between 1960 and 2002.
Keywords: divorce rates, legislation
JEL Classification: J12, J18, K3
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?
Recommended Papers
-
Did Unilateral Divorce Raise Divorce Rates? Evidence from Panel Data
-
Did Unilateral Divorce Raise Divorce Rates? Evidence from Panel Data
-
Did Unilateral Divorce Laws Raise Divorce Rates? A Reconciliation and New Results
-
Did Unilateral Divorce Laws Raise Divorce Rates? A Reconciliation and New Results
-
The Labor Market Effects of Introducing National Health Insurance: Evidence from Canada
By Jonathan Gruber and Maria Hanratty
-
Is Making Divorce Easier Bad for Children? The Long Run Implications of Unilateral Divorce
-
Marriage and Divorce: Changes and Their Driving Forces
By Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers
-
Marriage and Divorce: Changes and Their Driving Forces
By Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers
-
Marriage and Divorce: Changes and Their Driving Forces
By Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers
-
Marriage and Divorce: Changes and Their Driving Forces
By Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers