The impact of race on divorce in the United States

Using data from the June, 1985 Current Population Survey, a study was done to examine the effect of race on divorce in the United States, controlling for various risk factors noted in previous research. Life table and Cox pro portional hazards models were specified. The risk factors controlled includ ed age at first marriage, marriage cohort, marital status at first birth, a ge at first birth, presence of children, place of residence, family income, housing type, labor force status, and education. The results of the analys is confirm the existence of the hypothesized relationships. With regard to race evidence was found to suggest that divorce probabilities are higher am ong African Americans than Whites. African American women were 1.8 times as likely to divorce as their white counterparts.' Contrary to some past rese arch reports, however, it was observed that the variables that predict divo rce among African Americans are the same that do so for Whites. Moreover, t he difference between African Americans and whites with regard to divorce r isks was not as strong as some previous studies had reported. Analysis show ed that women with higher levels of education (college or graduate degrees) were significantly more likely to divorce than their counterparts with onl y high school education. The results also reinforce the findings reported i n many prior studies that divorce rates in the United States rose consisten tly in the 1970s and early 1980s. Cohort analysis by age and year of marria ge show that the probabilities of divorce in the first 5 to 10 years of mar riage have increased, especially for the recently married.