 News
18th March 2008
Birthrate
halved for children of divorcesGirls whose parents divorce are
half as likely to have children as those whose mother and father stay together,
a study revealed yesterday. The finding came from research into how changes
in marriage laws have affected women's lives. Scientists found girls who
grow up in a country which allows divorce are less likely to marry and are more
likely to delay having children. They are also more likely to work because
they cannot rely on finding a husband to support them, the study revealed. Experts
looked at four countries in which divorce was legalised between 1971 and 1996
– Spain, Italy, Portugal and Ireland. They compared different aspects of
women's lives – their likelihood of getting married, having children and getting
a job – before and after the laws were changed. The results were then compared
with the situation in other European countries such as Britain, which has allowed
divorce for centuries. They discovered that in this country, the offspring
of divorced parents are much less likely to have children themselves. The
report said: "Women exposed to divorce as children are 47 per cent less likely
to have a dependent child under 16." The findings, which were published
by the Royal Economic Society, suggested that the availability of divorce lies
behind the revolution in women's lives over the past 30 years. Since the
1970s, fewer women are getting married, more are bringing up children alone and
more than half of all mothers of young children go out to work. The researchers
found that men and women who grow up in a country where divorce is legal are 11
per cent less likely to marry than in a society where divorce is forbidden. And
in countries with legal divorce, those who do marry wait until later in life.
Researchers Dr Tarja Viitanen of Sheffield University and Dr Libertad Gonzalez,
a Barcelona-based academic, said: "Legal divorce appears to have effects beyond
altering relationship behaviour. "Women who grow up in countries where
divorce is legal are seven per cent more likely to participate in the labour force.
"They are more likely to earn more, but they are also likely to receive
more in benefits. "This makes sense, as women cannot rely on their husbands
supporting them." The study said divorce had a beneficial effect on children
by allowing bad and potentially abusive family relationships to end. Jill Kirby,
director of the centre-right think tank Centre for Policy Studies, said: "This
demonstrates how the effect of divorce and family break-up is at work through
the generations. "The failure of a family – and most often now it is not
a married family – puts women off having children themselves. "It is an
example of the long-term impact of the flight from marriage. "The effects
will be felt not only by us now, but by future generations. "This study
also shows that women suffer most from the effects of divorce and family break-up."
Britain has allowed divorce for centuries, but its laws were relaxed in
1971 to allow "quickie" divorces – where both parties agree to end the marriage
after six months of separation. The researchers said they analysed only
the effects of legalising divorce, rather than the liberalisation of laws. Where
to next? | 
