MARRIAGE DISSOLUTION IN AUSTRALIA - MODELS AND EXPLANATIONS

Interest in rising rates of marriage dissolution has been accompanied by curiosity concerning structural as well as temporal predictors of dissolution' Many factors may play a part: characteristics of the bride and groom; the circumstances surrounding the marriage, such as the length of periods of previous cohabitation; and situational factors within the marriage, such as the births of children and wives' employment. We examine the association between these factors and marriage dissolution, and use event-history data from a nationally representative sample survey of Australian women. The risk of marriage dissolution increased dramatically over the lives of our respondents. Year of birth, and age at marriage provide the most parsimonious characterization of the temporal correlates of marriage dissolution. Characteristics that were fixed by the time of marriage provide additional explanatory leverage. However, the most potent predictors of marriage dissolution are related to characteristics of the unfolding marriage itself; namely, patterns of employment, home-ownership, and region of residence.