Does Re-Partnering Behavior Spread Among Former Spouses?

Zafer Buyukkececi

doi:10.1007/s10680-021-09589-x

Abstract

This study focused on individuals’ re-partnering behavior following a divorce and asked whether divorcees influence each other’s new union formation. By exploiting the System of Social statistical Datasets (SSD) of Statistics Netherlands, I identified divorced dyads and examined interdependencies in their re-partnering behavior. Discrete-time event history models accounting for shared characteristics of divorcees that are likely to influence their divorce and re-partnering behavior simultaneously were estimated. Findings showed that the probability of re-partnering increased within the first two years following a former spouse’s new union formation. Further analyses focusing on formerly cohabiting couples rather than divorcees also revealed significant associations in re-partnering behavior. Following a former romantic partner’s new union formation, women were exposed to risk longer than men, due to men’s quicker re-partnering. These results were robust to the falsification tests. Overall, findings indicate that the consequences of a divorce or breakup are not limited to the incidence itself and former romantic partners remain important in each other’s life courses even after a breakup. With the increasing number of divorcees and changing family structures, it is important to consider former spouses as active network partners that may influence individual life courses.

Highlights

Formation patterns in Western countries have undergone great changes during the twentieth century
The model was estimated jointly with the probability of experiencing a divorce to account for the unobserved factors shared by the former spouses that influence divorce and re-partnering behavior simultaneously
Families in Western societies became more complex through union dissolution, re-partnering/marriage, and stepfamilies (Thomson, 2014)

Summary

Introduction

Formation patterns in Western countries have undergone great changes during the twentieth century (see Buchmann & Kriesi, 2011 for a review). Empirical evidence shows that most divorcees re-partner (Coleman et al, 2000; Elzinga & Liefbroer, 2007; Sweeney, 2002) with a profound preference for cohabitation relative to marriage (Wu & Schimmele, 2005) and across a wider age span (Beaujouan, 2012). Several studies turn to social diffusion and interaction processes to explain these changes in family life courses (Bongaarts & Watkins, 1996; Hernes, 1972; Kohler et al, 2002; Montgomery & Casterline, 1996; Coale & Watkins, 1986). Changes in family formation and living arrangements across time and regions might be driven by social interaction effects that escalate the behavioral impact of socioeconomic changes (i.e., social multiplier effects), transitions between equilibriums leading to rapid and persistent changes (i.e., multiple equilibriums), and inertia in normative changes (i.e., status quo enforcement) such as stepfamily formation

Methods

Results

Conclusion