Higher divorce risk when mates are plentiful? Evidence from Denmark

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Demography
• Sociology

Background:

• Adult sex ratios influence relationship behaviors, with partner abundance potentially decreasing relationship stability.
• Previous research often defined partner markets by geographic regions, which may not reflect modern mobility patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between the sex ratio within an individual's occupational sector and their risk of divorce.
• To determine if occupational sex ratios provide a better measure of partner market opportunities than traditional geographic measures.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Danish register data for individuals married between 1981 and 2002.
• Controlled for variables including age at marriage, duration of marriage, education, and parity.
• Analyzed the relationship between the proportion of opposite-sex individuals in one's occupational sector and divorce risk.

Main Results:

• A higher proportion of opposite-sex individuals in an occupational sector was linked to a higher risk of divorce for both men and women.
• The association between occupational sex ratio and divorce risk was generally stronger for men.
• The strength of this association varied depending on educational attainment.

Conclusions:

• Occupational sex ratios are a significant factor associated with divorce risk, highlighting the importance of considering non-geographic partner markets.
• Findings underscore the need to examine demographic behaviors of both sexes concurrently.
• Future research should explore differing mating strategies between males and females within various partner market contexts.