Initiator Status at Divorce and Repartnering: Trends over time

Abstract

More and more people divorce and repartner in their lives. Using data from ‘Divorce in the Netherlands 1998’ this paper examines the determinants of repartnering for men (N = 664) and women (N = 975). In particular, it is studied whether the initiator status at divorce improves the understanding of repartnering. In order to do so the following research question is stated: To what extent does initiator status at divorce affect the chances of repartnering, and has this relationship changed over time? Previous research suggested that initiators at divorce are more likely to repartner since they are emotionally faster adjusted and they may identify better alternatives to their current marriage. Discrete time event history analyses revealed that initiators at divorce are more likely to repartner than non-initiators. In addition, evidence is found that this effect increased over time, but only for men. This increase over time can mainly be contributed to the latest divorce cohorts, namely the cohort from 1990-1998.