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The Effect of Marital Breakup on the Income Distribution of Women with Children

The Effect of Marital Breakup on the Income Distribution of Women with Children Abstract: Having a female first-born child significantly increases the probability that a woman's first marriage breaks up. Using this exogenous variation, recent work finds that divorce has little effect on women's mean household income. We further investigate the effect of divorce using Quantile Treatment Effect methodology and find that it increases women's odds of having very high or very low income. In other words, while some women successfully compensate for lost spousal earnings through child support, welfare, combining households, and increasing labor supply, others are markedly unsuccessful. We conclude that by raising both poverty and inequality, divorce has important welfare consequences. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Human Resources University of Wisconsin Press

The Effect of Marital Breakup on the Income Distribution of Women with Children

Ananat, Elizabeth Oltmans.
Journal of Human Resources , Volume 43 (3) – Apr 4, 2008
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University of Wisconsin Press
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Copyright © University of Wisconsin Press
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1548-8004
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Abstract

Abstract: Having a female first-born child significantly increases the probability that a woman's first marriage breaks up. Using this exogenous variation, recent work finds that divorce has little effect on women's mean household income. We further investigate the effect of divorce using Quantile Treatment Effect methodology and find that it increases women's odds of having very high or very low income. In other words, while some women successfully compensate for lost spousal earnings through child support, welfare, combining households, and increasing labor supply, others are markedly unsuccessful. We conclude that by raising both poverty and inequality, divorce has important welfare consequences.

Journal

Journal of Human Resources – University of Wisconsin Press

Published: Apr 4, 2008

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