Understanding the Divorce Cycle: The Children of Divorce in their Own Marriages

by Nicholas H. Wolfinger

Overview

Growing up in a divorced family can cause the children to have difficulties in maintaining relationships. Nicholas Wolfinger demonstrates the significant impact of parental divorce upon people's lives and society. The divorce cycle phenomena ensures the transmission of divorce from one generation to the next. This book examines how it has transformed family life in contemporary America by drawing on two national data sets. Compared to people from intact families, the children of divorced parents are more likely to marry as teenagers, but less likely to wed overall. They are more likely to marry other people from divorced families, but more likely to dissolve second and third marriages, and less likely to marry their live-in partners.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521851169
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	07/11/2005
Pages:	194
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.55(d)

About the Author

Nicholas Wolfinger is an Associate Professer at the University of Utah. He is the co-editor of the book Fragile Families and the Marriage Agenda. He has published widely in journals such as Demography, Social Forces and the Journal of Family Issues. He is the recipient of the University of Utah's Superior Research Award, 2004.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction; 2. Why divorce begets divorce; 3. Coupling and uncoupling; 4. How strong is the divorce cycle?; 5. Historical developments; 6. The cohabitation revolution; 7. Conclusion.

Editorial Reviews

" Understanding the Divorce Cycle: The Children of Divorce in Their Own Marriages contains important information for those interested in divorce and its reprecussions and for policy makers who determine family and divorce law." -Tooele Transcipt Bulletin

"Wolfinger's statistical analysis is well developed and sheds light on some paradoxical aspects of the divorce cycle. This book should be read by researchers interested in the topic of divorce and related issues. His presentation is clear and relatively easy to follow as he formats his results in very approachable graphs and occasional, uncomplicated tables." —Anne-Marie Ambert, York University, Canadian Journal of Sociology Online

"...I consider this book to be a major contribution. It is full of interesting speculations...that could fruitfully be investigated. This book sets a good example." -Norval D. Glenn, University of Texas at Austin

From the Publisher