The Economic Benefit of Remarriage

Abstract

Abstract Although Americans have a high propensity to divorce, many of them remarry soon afterward. However, little is known about the degree of financial benefit that remarriage provides. This article presents the findings from a study on the financial benefit of remarriage. In particular, the study estimated the differential economic impact of remarriage on men versus women and on high-income persons versus low-income persons. The major findings were that women benefit more from remarriage than do men and that high-income persons benefit more from remarriage than do low-income persons. For men and women, the variables children and education exerted similar effects on the change in their income status due to remarriage, but for high-income and low-income persons, the independent variables had considerably different effects. Implications for policies are discussed.