Maria Stanfors
Professor
Intergenerational Transmission of Divorce in Sweden, 1905-2015
Author
Summary, in English
Many studies demonstrate an intergenerational transmission of divorce (ITD). Most research is, however, limited to modern periods (i.e., more recent decades) and little is known about whether this relationship is deeply rooted or whether it has changed over time. Explanations, including sociodemographic and interpersonal factors, have been offered as links between parental divorce and offspring’s marriage stability. We use individual-level longitudinal data to estimate the ITD among first marriages in Sweden in 1905–2015. We investigate the association between parental divorce and own divorce during the transition from a low to a high divorce regime. Controlling for demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, we find stability in ITD over time, and see that divorce risks are highest when either the wife or both spouses have experienced parental divorce. The transmission has been stronger and more stable for women than for men over time. Results from a period spanning more than a century indicate that ITD is part of the transition from low to high divorce rates and highlight the role of female independence in this process.
Department/s
- Department of Economic History
- Centre for Economic Demography
Publishing year
2022-05-05
Language
English
Publication/Series
Lund Papers in Economic Demography
Issue
2022:2
Links
Document type
Working paper
Topic
- Economic History
Keywords
- divorce
- intergenerational transmission
- Sweden
- longitudinal data
- survival analysis
Status
Published
Project
- Doctoral Studies: The Divorce Transition in Sweden 1915–2015
- A century of divorce. Economic change and union dissolution in Sweden, 1915–2015