Introduction: Economic and Social consequences of partnership dissolution - what dowe know and what are we looking for?

Abstract

WHAT THIS BOOK IS ABOUTOver the last several decades, the probability of divorce and separation among married or cohabiting couples has increased signifi cantly in most European countries, although the level and pace at which this has occurred differs across countries. Much research has been devoted to the causes of this change -for example, to the effects of increased secularization and increased women's employment on marriage stability. Nevertheless, an equally important area of research is the analysis of the consequences of partnership dissolution. Separation and divorce do not only end unhappy partnerships and open up new perspectives for life. They are also connected with psychological distress, fi nancial strain and many changes in individual living conditions. As we all know, couples are not only bound by love and affection. They live together in one common household, share economic resources, support each other emotionally and practically, try to be good parents to their children and enjoy social relationships with relatives, neighbours and friends. As a consequence, separation and divorce also imply a new organization of personal fi nances, taking up or increasing employment, applying for fi nancial support from the state, arguing about childcare and custody, and searching for social support and new social relationships. Each of these changes can be problematic in itself, and will thus increase the emotional stress caused by partnership disruption.As we have already mentioned, the causes of divorce are an area of intensive research (see the reviews in Wagner and Weiß, 2006). In contrast, not so much attention is directed to the consequences of divorce, at least in the European context. As the examples show, the consequences of separation and divorce are manifold, and they are noticeable both at the individual and the societal levels. This book deals with consequences of partnership When marriage ends dissolution at the individual level and focuses on their economic and social aspects, leaving aside all kinds of psychological and somatic changes. In an early meta-analysis of 37 studies dealing with the long-term consequences of parental divorce for adult well-being, Amato and Keith (1991a) distinguished 15 different areas in which people are affected by divorce, ranging from psychological well-being to physical health. We focus here on what they have called occupational quality and material quality of life. More specifi cally, we are interested in men's and women's occupation, income, housing and living conditions, unemployment and welfare dependency. Admittedly, this list excludes important topics such as social networks and family relationships. But it still includes a lot of important topics that deserve thorough empirical investigation, especially in the European context. WHAT DO WE KNOW SO FAR?Most research on the consequences of partnership dissolution has been conducted using US-American data and focuses on economic well-being. A classical example is the study by Weitzman (1985), who argued that...

Household debt and depressive symptoms among older adults in three continental European countries

“…Moreover, joint housing debt may be more stressful for women because their wealth and income tend to be linked to that of their spouse. Women are also likely to lose economically in the event of a divorce (Andress and Hummelsheim, 2009), and evidence shows that women are likely to suffer more debt problems after a divorce (Fisher and Lyons, 2006). Furthermore, debt may have other gendered effects on various areas of life ( see e.g.…”