THE IMPACT OF HUSBANDS AND WIVES RELATIVE EARNINGS ON MARITAL DISRUPTION

In the last several decades, a shift has occurred in the relative cont ributions of married women to household earnings. Yet we know little a bout the impact of relative earnings of husbands and wives on the like lihood of marital disruption. This study estimates a discrete-lime haz ard model using data on first married couples from the 1986-1989 waves of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. The relative earnings of husba nds and wives are a significant predictor of marital disruption, altho ugh the relationship is nonlinear. We suggest this nonlinear effect is linked to the varying economic circumstances of different groups of c ouples.