Correlates of Divorce Liberality

Abstract

Current theorizing about causes qf the increasing rate of marital instability in the United States has pointed to increasingly liberal attitudes toward divorce as a key explanatory variable. This investigation attempted to identifj significant correlates of divorce liberality by testing a series of hypotheses derived from cognitive dissonance, social learning, and social exchange theories. Based on interviews of a sample qf 240 spouses (120 couples), it was found that husbands and wives differ in terms of the variables influencing the degree qf divorce liberality. In line with social exchange theory, presence and number of children were the strongest predictors of divorce liberality fbr wives, but less so fbr husbands. Childless spouses were significantly more liberal toward divorce than were spouses with children, with childless wives being the most liberal of all. Husbands were more influenced by the perceived quality of the marital relationship, in support of cognitive dissonance theory. However, only 12 percent of the total variance in the divorce liberality measure was explained in a multiple regression analysis, leading to suggestions fbr more methodologically refined research designs and encompassing theoretical models in

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