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Is Parental Divorce Homogamy Associated With a Higher Risk of Separation From Cohabitation and Marriage?
Sanna Kailaheimo-Lönnqvist1, Anette Eva Fasang2,3, Marika Jalovaara1
1Department of Social Research and INVEST Flagship, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
Demography
|September 20, 2021
Summary
Children whose parents divorced are more likely to partner with other children of divorcees. This parental divorce homogamy increases union dissolution risk, but less so in Finland due to social acceptance and welfare support.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Family Studies
- Demography
Background:
- Parental divorce is a known risk factor for increased divorce risk in adult children.
- Previous research has primarily focused on the individual impact of parental divorce, not on the dynamics within couples where both partners have experienced parental divorce.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate parental divorce homogamy (partners with similar parental divorce histories).
- To assess the association between parental divorce history for both partners and the risk of union dissolution (cohabitation and marriage).
- To compare these associations in Finland with findings from the United States and Norway.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Finnish Census Panel data from 28,021 cohabiting and marital partnerships.
- Employed event-history models to analyze data for individuals aged 18 to 45.
- Examined parental divorce homogamy and its relationship with union dissolution risk.
Main Results:
- Found significant parental divorce homogamy: individuals with divorced parents were more likely to partner with others who also had divorced parents.
- Parental divorce homogamy was associated with increased odds of cohabitation (13%) and marriage (17%) with a fellow child of divorcees.
- Parental divorce homogamy showed an additive, not multiplicative, association with union dissolution, increasing cohabitation dissolution risk by 20% and marriage dissolution risk by 70%.
Conclusions:
- Parental divorce homogamy is a significant factor in partnership formation and stability.
- While parental divorce homogamy increases union dissolution risk in Finland, the effect is weaker than in the US and Norway, potentially due to Finland's social and welfare context.
- Findings highlight the intergenerational transmission of relationship patterns and the influence of societal factors on union stability.
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