Economics of Marital Instability

115 Pages Posted: 12 Apr 2004 Last revised: 4 Dec 2022

See all articles by Gary S. Becker

Gary S. Becker

University of Chicago - Department of Economics; University of Chicago - Booth School of Business

Elisabeth M. Landes

LECG/Navigant Consulting; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Robert T. Michael

University of Chicago; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Date Written: October 1976

Abstract

This paper focuses on the causes of divorce. Section I developsa theoretical analysis of marital dissolution incorporating uncertaintyabout the outcomes of marital decisions into a framework of utilitymaximization and the marriage market. Section II explores the implica-tions of the theoretical analysis with cross-sectional data,primarilythe 1967 Survey of Economic Opportunity and the Terman sample. Therelevance of both the theoretical and empirical analyses in explainingthe recent acceleration in the U.S. divorce rate is discussed.

Suggested Citation

Becker, Gary S. and Landes, Elisabeth M. and Michael, Robert T., Economics of Marital Instability (October 1976). NBER Working Paper No. w0153, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=260343

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Robert T. Michael

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