The Effective Dates of No‐Fault Divorce Laws in the 50 States^*

Abstract

We use prior research and state legislative histories to develop a set of decision rules for determining the dates for adoption of no‐fault divorce laws in the 50 states. Social scientists have attempted to gauge the impact of no‐fault divorce laws on the stability of the family and on the rate of divorce, but the adoption dates used by these researchers varied widely. Such divergences yield conflicting findings on issues related to the impact of no‐fault divorce laws on family outcomes. We examine in detail the varying methods used in prior studies for determining no‐fault dates, then suggest a method for resolving the conflicts. Precision in and standardization of the dates of no‐fault divorce laws used in this body of research will minimize measurement error and improve confidence in the research.