Divorced Females Research Articles

Female income and the divorce decision: evidence from micro data

Escalating divorce rates during the 1960s and 1970s led to large numbers of academic investigations into the causes of divorce. Most of these studies concentrated on a significant increase in female income that resulted from rising female labour force participation rates. The difficulty with quantifying these arguments is that it is possible to observe the income of married females or it is possible to observe the income of divorced females, but it is not possible to observe both outcomes, simultaneously. This research attempts to resolve these difficulties by using sample selection techniques to correct for possible bias from simple observation of the income of married and divorced females.

High divorce rates in Corsican blue tits: how to choose a better option in a harsh environment

We investigate which hypothesis, the “better mate hypothesis” or the “better territory hypothesis” best explains the unusually high divorce rate (59%) in a population of blue tits (Parus caeruleus) living in a sclerophyllous habitat characterised by severe environmental constraints (trophic, parasitic, climatic) on the island of Corsica, France. Using data from the breeding seasons 1985–1998 and from a brood size experiment (1990–1993) we examined the causes of divorce and their consequences on breeding performance, mate assortment and territory choice. Breeding performance had no significant effect on whether birds re‐united or divorced in the next breeding season. Re‐uniting pairs did better than divorced females and the latter improved their breeding performance compared to prior to divorce, but this was mainly due to age and territory effects. There were no differences in male performance depending on whether they re‐united or divorced. The age combination of pairs did not differ between re‐uniting and divorcing pairs, but mate assortment changed after divorce with males re‐mating more often with older partners than females. Manipulation of brood size showed a trend for birds with enlarged broods to divorce more. Pairs responded significantly to territory quality by divorcing more often in poor than in good breeding sites. Both faithful pairs and male divorcees had shorter breeding dispersal distances than female divorcees. Divorce rates were determined by the large differences in quality among breeding sites. Males, whatever their status, usually retained their previous territory whereas divorced females moved significantly longer distances and improved their breeding site. Moving to a better territory after divorce benefits only females which appear to be the choosing sex in the decision to divorce. This study strongly supports the “habitat mediated hypothesis” and we suggest that the large observed intraspecific variation in the magnitude of divorce rates in many species of birds is mostly determined by habitat characteristics.

Suicidal behavior in the municipality of Baerum, Norway: a 12-year prospective study of parasuicide and suicide.

The present 12-year (1984-1995) surveillance study includes all hospitalized parasuicide patients (n = 1,031) as well as all suicides (n = 161) in the municipality of Baerum, a suburb of Oslo. The parasuicide rate decreased from 170 per 100,000 in 1984 to 79 per 100,000 in 1995 (53.5%). The parasuicide rates were lower than those in several comparable studies. Rates were higher for divorced females and separated males compared to married and other marital states, and the pattern of relative risk of parasuicide with respect to marital status was stable. Unemployment and substance abuse were positively correlated with parasuicidal behavior for both males and females. Approximately 33% reported one or more previous parasuicidal acts, and 21% repeated the parasuicide during the observation period. Ninety-four percent used self-poisoning as parasuicide method. A total of 2.4% of the parasuiciders committed suicide during the observation period. The mean annual suicide rate in Baerum was 19.0 per 100,000 compared to the national average of 14.7. The results support the notion of parasuicide and suicide being two different but overlapping populations. The implementation of a follow-up system for parasuiciders may have contributed to the reduced parasuicide rate during the study period.

Importance and Attainment of Values Among Married and Divorced Couples

This paper advocates, in line with cognitive approaches in studies of marital adjustment, that the positive or negative development of a marital relationship is dependent on spouses' conceptions and interpretations of the interactions between self and partner in the relationship. Fifty-six married or divorced males and females rated the importance and attainment of 30 values in relation to their (ex-)mar-riage. Factor analysis revealed five value dimensions, viz, coordination, personal satisfaction, altruistic values, emotional values and communication. For all dimensions except emotional values (e.g., sex and passion), divorcees experienced less value attainment than married persons did. Importance ratings tended to be on the same level for married persons and divorcees. Apparently, married and divorced persons want approximately the same things from marriage, but divorced persons are less successful in attaining these things.

Demographic Profiles of Elderly Homeowners in Poverty Who Can Gain from Reverse Mortgages

This paper studies the demographic profiles of elderly homeowners in the United States who are in poverty, and who can use reverse mortgages to raise their economic status. The Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) reverse mortgage is simulated using the HECM Worksheet Program and the American Housing Survey of 1991 data in order to compute the magnitude of gains from reverse mortgages. The demographic profiles of households who gain from reverse mortgages are developed in terms of age, household type, race or ethnicity, region, and location. The demographic profiles reveal that households headed by divorced, widowed, or separated women constitute a large majority of homeowners in poverty with potential gains from reverse mortgages. Results from an analytical model of the determinants of potential gains from reverse mortgages indicate that such gains are systematically higher for -- households headed by never-married males, and by divorced, widowed, or separated females; whites compared to African-Americans; households in Northeastern and Southern urban suburbs; and those who do not receive public assistance.

Family status and self-reported health in West Germany

The goal of the study was to examine the association between family status and several health-related variables, such as perceived general health, health behavior and self-reported morbidity. Data were derived from Health Surveys conducted in West Germany in the framework of the German Cardiovascular Prevention Study. 25'229 males and 26'097 females, aged 25 to 69 years, were examined. Age-adjusted prevalence odds ratios, calculated by multiple logistic regression analysis, were used as effect measure. The reference category was "married, living with partner" throughout. For most health-related variables significantly higher prevalence odds ratios, indicating unhealthy conditions, were observed for "singles", including persons never married, persons living separated, and divorced or widowed persons. Two or more unhealthy health behaviors were found most frequently for divorced persons of either sex. Age-adjusted odds ratios for self-reporting of three or more chronic diseases were 1.31 (p < 0.01) for divorced males, and 1.66 (p < 0.001) for divorced females. Both men and women who were divorced or separated were characterized by an unfavourable health profile.

The effects of marital status on adult female homicides in the United States

With data from the 1992 Mortality Detail File, we examine the effects of marital status on female homicide victimization in the United States. Multivariate logistic regression was fitted to all female homicide deaths occuring in 1992. Results indicate that, controlling for race, education, nativity, city size, region of the country, occupation, age, day of the week, and month of the year, divorced females were 55.3% more likely to be homicide victims than married females. Notably, single women did not differ from married women with respect to homicide risk. Finally, widowed women were significantly less likely to be homicide victims than married women. The results suggest a complicated relationship between marital status and female homicide victimization.

Parasuicide in the county of Sør-Trøndelag, Norway. General epidemiology and psychological factors.

During the period 1 October 1988 to 31 December 1993, 2068 episodes of parasuicide involving 1543 persons were registered in the county of Sør-Trøndelag, Norway. Parasuicide rates decreased in the area compared with 1987, more for females than for males. Rates were higher for divorced females and separated males than for those of other marital statuses, but these rates were lower than previously found in the same area. The proportion of unemployed patients remained fairly stable, while the rate of unemployment increased in the general population. Compared to males, female parasuicide patients more often reported family problems and economic inactivity, and more often had been victims of violence or sexual abuse. Male parasuicide patients more often than females were living alone, were unemployed, abused alcohol, had financial problems, and had been engaged in criminal activity. Compared with older parasuicide patients, the young of both sexes were more often unemployed and abused drugs, but had less often been in contact with the health or social services. In addition, young female parasuicide patients more often had experienced family problems and suicidal behaviour among family or friends. The results were generally considered to be consistent with theories of sex role stereotypes, which emphasize expressive traits in an affiliative context for females and instrumental traits in a public or economic context for men.

Changing Marriage Age and Consanguineous Marriage in Saudi Females

Current marital age and consanguinity are not precisely known in Saudi Arabia. Saudi National Child Health Survey data were used to examine marital age, consanguinity, status and outcome of marriage of Saudi females. The survey (1987-88) involved interviewing 8482 ever-married urban and rural females by 120 female nurses. The results showed that 16% of young females and about 1% of young males were married before age 20. The rate of first marriage of females under 15 years of age decreased from 33% 20 years earlier to only 3.6% recently. The highest of 90% of females (35 to 39 years) and 98% of males (50 to 54 years) were currently married. Widowhood increased from 8% in the age group 40 to 44 to nearly 54% in those 70 over. Over all, nearly 0.5% of males and 3.4% of females remained widowed and 0.2% of males and 1.2% of females divorced. Thirty-four percent of all marriages were to first cousins in urban areas and 41% in rural areas. Thirty percent of marriages among literate groups and 39% in illiterate groups were consanguineous. Further research is needed to examine the causes and effects of (1) intercousin and (2) delayed marriage of females and (3) the welfare status of widowed and divorced females and their children.

Causes of divorce in the monogamous willow tit, Parus montanus, and consequences for reproductive success

Abstract. Divorce rates were measured in a population of willow tits, in which the size of some broods was manipulated. The population, with annual survival rates of ca 63 and 64% for females and males, respectively, had a relatively low divorce rate of 12·0%. The experiments on altered breeding success did not support the hypothesis that poor success is likely to initiate divorce. Most variation in reproductive success of the pairs differing in breeding history was attributable to the age of the female, yearling females being least successful. Yearling birds split up more often than older birds. Divorced females usually paired with older, and divorced males with younger, mates than their previous ones. With a new mate, divorced females bred successfully and advanced their laying date more than widowed females indicating that divorce was beneficial. The success of divorced males was low and some even remained unpaired in the season after splitting up. Divorce thus seems to be a strategy chosen by females to increase future reproductive success. The decision seems to be initiated when a female can obtain a higher-ranked mate among the birds in her own or in a neighbouring winter flock.

Divorce in the long-lived and monogamous oystercatcher, Haematopus ostralegus: incompatibility or choosing the better option?

Abstract. Oystercatchers breeding on Schiermonnikoog divorced, because one of the mates deserted (leaving the partner as a victim of its choice), or because one or both mates were chased from the territory by usurpers. Though the majority of divorced birds were classified as victims, among birds that retained breeding status females more often chose to divorce than did males. Females changing mates were also more likely to move between territories than were males. A much larger database from Skokholm showed that the reproductive success of new pairs, which depended on the breeding history of the female only, was lower than that of old pairs. The suggestion that females benefited from divorce depended on the interpretation of the decrease in reproductive success with the new mate for widowed birds as an efficiency cost of mate change. However, the increase in reproductive success with duration of the pair bond for female first-time breeders and divorced females (but not for widowed females) may be linked to an increase in breeding age of the female, instead of a re-bound from initial inefficiency in reproduction with the new mate. Hence, competition for good mates and/or good territories appears the primary constraint on options for mate change for both males and females. The role of active choice and competition for good mates and/or good territories has been neglected in previous studies of divorce. The better option hypothesis takes account of both.

The Psychological Well-Being of Divorced and Widowed Men and Women

In this article we focus on the psychological well-being of the widowed and divorced. The data are from a national stratified probability sample in which the divorced and widowed, particularly divorced and widowed males, were oversampled. Seven different indicators of psychological well-being are used. Compared to the married and, to a lesser extent the never married, the psychological well-being of the divorced and widowed is poor. Overall the psychological well-being of divorced males, divorced females and widowed females is roughly comparable and better than the psychological well-being of widowed males.

Adjustment to Divorce in Israel: A Comparison between Divorced Men and Women

An attempt was made to examine the separate as well as combined impacts of thefollowing factors on postdivorce adjustment in Israel: time elasped after divorce, domains in the life space, and gender. Fifty divorced females and fifty divorced males were interviewed on their subjective well-being in eight domains of life at two periods of time. Six further indepth interviews were conducted on the same topics and periods. Among the main findings, (a) for both genders a process of improvement in their subjective well-being operates within 2-4 years; (b) there are separate patterns of distress and adjustment for divorced males and females; (c) the gap between the genders in overall adjustment to single life becomes more emphasized in the long run, while the structural divergence between domains is de-emphasized. Explanations are based on role differentiation as well as on the special characteristics of Israeli society.

Marital Dissolution Laws

This article reviews the consequences of recent changes in the laws of marital dissolution. Two of the major trends are the removal of misconduct as a ground for divorce and the removal of gender as a criterion for settlements. The major consequence of these changes has been the deterioration of the economic well-being of divorced females, particularly those from long-term marriages. To help reduce these inequalities it is recommended that legislatures and courts place explicit economic value on the nonmonetary contributions spouses make to their marriages.

Sex Differences in Remarriage and Spouse Selection

This paper explores on an international basis the incidence of remarriage among total marriages, the levels and differences in remarriage rates among widowed and divorced males and females, and differences between males and females in spouse selection according to the previous marital statuses of spouse and bride or groom. Remarriage rates by sex and previous marital status are estimated using vital registration data in combination with census information; there are 47 countries that have such data. The results of the analyses indicate that there are a number of general patterns of remarriage and spouse selection that tend to hold across countries.

Research and Clinical Application of Marital Autopsy in Divorce Counseling

The psychological Autopsy (Weisman, 1969) has been used in analyzing deaths in the aged, and in suicides. A modification of the technique has been devised for use in analyzing the marriage and separation as an integral part of the Divorce Counseling Process. The five phases of this interview and investigation technique include: (1) The Pre-marriage, (2) The Course of the Marriage, (3) Dissolution Phase of the Marriage, (4) Preterminal Phase of Marriage, and (5) Post-marriage. Measures were devised and applied to outpatients in a large, urban, group psychiatric practice. Tests of significance (T-tests) were applied to samples of divorced, married and unmarried males and females that came to the practice over a two year period. Significant differences between divorced and the married and unmarried groups were found on four of the six measured variables studied for both males and females, (i.e. childhood environment, life change units, resources, number of years living independently and chronological age.) A...

Kinship Interaction after Divorce

Interviews were conducted with 62 divorced males and 42 divorced females in order to determine the kinship interaction of the divorced family. Hypotheses were tested relating to the frequency of contact of divorcees with their consanguineal and affinal relatives. Affection between the divorcees and their consanguines is present both before and after the divorce and contributes to maintaining kinship interaction. However, the affectional and/or obligational bond with affines is weakened or eliminated following the divorce. The reasons for maintaining contact with former affines are holding those status attributes such as having children present and being female which symbolize the family.

A comparative study of divorce in rheumatoid arthritis and other rheumatic diseases

A significantly greater than expected number of divorced females was observed in a series of rheumatoid arthritis patients when compared to a control group of other rheumatic disease patients similar in age, race and sex ( p < 0.05). Divorce was not temporally associated with onset of arthritis symptoms. The excess prevalence of divorce among rheumatoid females compared to controls was best explained by a lower rate of remarriage. Educational achievement discrepancy between marital partners was significantly greater in rheumatoid arthritis patient marriages which terminated in divorce compared with both non-divorced rheumatoids' marriages and divorce-terminated control marriages ( p < 0.01 in both comparisons).