Does the Age You Get Married Affect Your Probability of Divorce?
Abstract
A study conducted by Kelly Raley and Larry Bumpass in 2003 showed the probability of divorce in the United States to have increase to 50 percent. Another study conducted by W. Richard Evarts, showed the average lawyer fees of a contested divorce to be $2,360. This is not including any assets lost to the other spouse, child support or ant debt acquired by the couple during the marriage. Child Supports payments alone are projected to be an average of $5,150 annually. With divorce being so common and expensive, it is important to see what factors may contribute to an increase in the probability of divorce. Using the American Community Survey’s Public Use Microdata Sample, I estimate the effect the age one gets married has on the probability of divorce. Using different individual responses to questions about income, age, and number of marriages, I find for every 1 year increase in the age you get married, your probability of divorce goes down by .004307 percentage points.
Does the Age You Get Married Affect Your Probability of Divorce?
A study conducted by Kelly Raley and Larry Bumpass in 2003 showed the probability of divorce in the United States to have increase to 50 percent. Another study conducted by W. Richard Evarts, showed the average lawyer fees of a contested divorce to be $2,360. This is not including any assets lost to the other spouse, child support or ant debt acquired by the couple during the marriage. Child Supports payments alone are projected to be an average of $5,150 annually. With divorce being so common and expensive, it is important to see what factors may contribute to an increase in the probability of divorce. Using the American Community Survey’s Public Use Microdata Sample, I estimate the effect the age one gets married has on the probability of divorce. Using different individual responses to questions about income, age, and number of marriages, I find for every 1 year increase in the age you get married, your probability of divorce goes down by .004307 percentage points.