Employment and the stability of marriage under consideration of social change

One can suppose a reciprocal relationship between the risk of divorce and f emale employment. The perception of an increased marital instability increa ses the probability of wives' labor participation that in turn reduces the stability of marriages. This relationship is examined in greater detail in the present article. The assumption of an increased transition into female employment after the deterioration of marriage can be supported for West Ge rman marriages. Moreover it can be shown that the positive effect of female full-rime employment on the risk of divorce decreases when the feedback ef fect of an anticipated divorce is controlled. Finally, a decreasing importa nce of female employment with respect to marriage stability can be detected for younger marriage cohorts.