The Effect of Joint Custody on Marriage and Divorce

Martin Halla

No 4314, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: Since the 1970s almost all states have introduced a form of joint custody after divorce. We analyze the causal effect of these custody law reforms on the incidence of marriage and divorce. Our identification strategy exploits the different timing of reforms across states and the control group of divorcing couples without minors. Estimations based on state panel data suggest that the introduction of joint custody led to a long-run increase in marriage rates. There is no convincing evidence for an impact of joint custody on divorce rates. In sum, joint custody has increased the stock of married people and dampened the persistent downturn in marriage. Our empirical evidence is fully consistent with the supposition that these additional marriages are the result of an increased incentive of men to marry.

Keywords: divorce; family law; marital-specific investment; marriage; joint custody (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D13 J12 J13 J18 K36 N32 R2 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 42 pages
Date: 2009-07
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

Published - revised version published in: Journal of the European Economic Association, 2013, 11 (2), 278–315

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Related works:
Working Paper: The Effect of Joint Custody on Marriage and Divorce (2009)
Working Paper: The Effect of Joint Custody on Marriage and Divorce (2009)
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