Union Disruption in Norway

Abstract

:In this article, we estimate determinants of marital instabilities. Our data set is drawn from the Norwegian KIRUT database, which provides detailed personal information, including marital status, age, income, and education (also for spouses), number and age of children, and labor market and social security status (extent of employment, receipt of social security benefits, etc.). Our sample of approximately 2,900 couples were married by 1989 and observed through 1994 with the purpose of registering changes in marital status. In separate steps, we estimate the spouses’ earnings capacity and probability of achieving child custody. These variables in tum enter as predictors in the divorce equation. We find that marital stability increases with the number of children, but decreases as the children get older. Furthermore, the traditional family structure in which the husband specializes in the labor market and the wife in domestic production appears to have a stabilizing effect on marriages. Finally, the custodial arrangement affects marital stability in that a high probability of custody to the wife is associated with a high probability of marital disruption.

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