Unemployment and marital status in Great Britain.
During the past decade, the marriage rate has declined and the divorce rate has increased in Great Britain. Becker (1981) attributes such changes to improvements in the economic status of women, in that high-wage women gain less from marriage relative to other women. However, an empirical analysis of data from the General Household Survey 1985 in Great Britain shows that male unemployment is another important determinant of changes in marital status. High rates of male unemployment reduce the incidence of marriage and increase the likelihood of divorce.
Sander
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Department of Economics, DePaul University, Chicago, IL 60604.
D000328:Adult; D003625:Data Collection; D004243:Divorce / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D008393:Marriage / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D008875:Middle Aged; D017059:Models, Econometric; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014478:Unemployment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D006113:United Kingdom; D014931:Women, Working / Q000706:statistics & numerical data