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Another Look at No-Fault Divorce and the Post-Divorce Finances of Women

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 2024

Herbert Jacob
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Abstract

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Recent studies by Weitzman (1985) and Peters (1986) suggest that no-fault divorce has harmed women. The research presented here tests these findings by examining the effects of no-fault divorce on the financial situation of women using data on salary and wage income, home ownership, and child support from the National Longitudinal Surveys (NLS) of Labor Market Experience (Ohio State University Center for Human Resource Research [OSU], 1986) young women's cohort. The analyses do not support the hypothesis that no-fault divorce produces adverse financial effects. Rather, it appears that no-fault has had little effect on women's finances. Alternative models that might explain how divorce law affects the financial condition of women are suggested.

Type
Research Article
Information
Law & Society Review , Volume 23 , Issue 1 , 1989 , pp. 95 - 115
Copyright
Copyright © 1989 The Law and Society Association.

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