Covenant Marriages: Increasing Commitment or Costs?

Amanda J Felkey
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Amanda J Felkey: Department of Economics, Business and Finance, Lake Forest College

Eastern Economic Journal, 2018, vol. 44, issue 1, No 4, 49-68

Abstract: Abstract To combat growing divorce rates, some states have begun to offer covenant marriage contracts, which are more costly to enter and exit than traditional marriages. This paper explores how having this option changes couples’ relationship decisions. It utilizes marriage and divorce rate data from Arkansas, Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas between 1990 and 2013 to understand how covenants change the relationship decisions made by individuals. It provide the first documentation of the potential and observed effects of this new relationship status and evidence about whether or not this option is effective in its goal of creating stronger, happier unions.

Keywords: covenant marriage; state marriage contracts; divorce rates; D10; K12; H70 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1057/eej.2016.3

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