As stated in an earlier post, we have been examining other variables that may impact the divorce rate. A study by Nunley & Zietz (2012) examined the impact of age demographics on the divorce rate in America. Nunley and Zietz (2012) used time series methods in examining data from 1932 to 2006. The divorce rate was determined by the number of divorces per 1000 married person (Nunley & Zietz, 2012). Nunley and Zietz (2012) also examined the percentage of the population between the ages of 20-29. The reason for examining this particular age group is because, according to Nunley and Zietz (2012), marriages are less stable during the early years of marriage and less stable when individuals marry at younger ages such as were examined.
Nunley and Zietz (2012) determined that the rise and fall of the divorce rate coincided with similar rises and falls in the fraction of the total population falling into the 20-29 age category. More specifically, Nunley and Zietz (2012) state
the sharp rise in the divorce rate from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s happens to coincide with a perceptible increase in the 20-29 age group as a fraction of the total population…steady decline in the divorce rate from 1980 onwards coincides with a reduction in the fraction of 20-29 year-olds in the population (p. 67).
This finding supports the researcher’s hypothesis that the fraction of the population in the age group of 20-29 directly and positively impacts the divorce rate (Nunley & Zietz, 2012). It would be interesting to examine if this trend has continued as the latest data analyzed is now seven years old. This study is the first one not to include unemployment rate as a variable impacting the divorce rate. It will be interesting to see if any similar studies have been conducted, as well as other potential variables impacting divorce rate.
Nunley, J. M., & Zietz, J. (2012). The long-run impact of age demographics on the U.S divorce rate. The American Economist 57 (1). 65-77. Retrieved from http://library.wmpenn.edu:2048/login? url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct= true&db=bth&AN=74610976&site=ehost-live
Nunley and Zietz (2012) determined that the rise and fall of the divorce rate coincided with similar rises and falls in the fraction of the total population falling into the 20-29 age category. More specifically, Nunley and Zietz (2012) state
the sharp rise in the divorce rate from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s happens to coincide with a perceptible increase in the 20-29 age group as a fraction of the total population…steady decline in the divorce rate from 1980 onwards coincides with a reduction in the fraction of 20-29 year-olds in the population (p. 67).
This finding supports the researcher’s hypothesis that the fraction of the population in the age group of 20-29 directly and positively impacts the divorce rate (Nunley & Zietz, 2012). It would be interesting to examine if this trend has continued as the latest data analyzed is now seven years old. This study is the first one not to include unemployment rate as a variable impacting the divorce rate. It will be interesting to see if any similar studies have been conducted, as well as other potential variables impacting divorce rate.
Nunley, J. M., & Zietz, J. (2012). The long-run impact of age demographics on the U.S divorce rate. The American Economist 57 (1). 65-77. Retrieved from http://library.wmpenn.edu:2048/login? url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct= true&db=bth&AN=74610976&site=ehost-live
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