Do Divorce Law Reforms Matter for Divorce Rates? Evidence from Portugal

Abstract

In this paper, we study the contribution of divorce law reforms for the evolution of divorce rates in Portugal over the last forty years. We focus on the reforms of divorce law in the 70s and in the 90s as well as socioeconomic factors as determinants of the divorce rate. We find that the introduction of a modern divorce law in the 70s had a significant effect on the divorce rate, but not the changes of the 90s that effectively implemented a generalized no-fault regime. Our observations suggest that the reforms in the 1990s were more the response of the legislator to growing divorce rates rather than the cause.