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Do divorcing couples become happier by breaking up?

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Gardner, Jonathan and Oswald, Andrew J. . (2006) Do divorcing couples become happier by breaking up? Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A (Statistics in Society), Vol.169 (No.2). pp. 319-336. ISSN 0964-1998

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-985X.2006.00403.x

Abstract

Divorce is a leap in the dark. The paper investigates whether people who split up actually become happier. Using the British Household Panel Survey, we can observe an individual's level of psychological well-being in the years before and after divorce. Our results show that divorcing couples reap psychological gains from the dissolution of their marriages. Men and women benefit equally. The paper also studies the effects of bereavement, of having dependant children and of remarriage. We measure well-being by using general health questionnaire and life satisfaction scores.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Economics
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Divorced people, Happiness
Journal or Publication Title:	Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A (Statistics in Society)
Publisher:	Blackwell
ISSN:	0964-1998
Date:	24 January 2006
Volume:	Vol.169
Number:	No.2
Page Range:	pp. 319-336
Identification Number:	10.1111/j.1467-985X.2006.00403.x
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Access rights to Published version:	Open Access
Related URLs:	Publisher
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URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/319