Variations in Divorce and Remarriage by Race, Ethnicity and Nativity: A Focus on Demographic Characteristics

Catherine McNamee, University of Texas at Austin

The objectives of this study are to examine race/ethnic/nativity differentials in divorce/remarriage in the U.S. and the influence of group variations in demographic characteristics. Three types of analysis are employed to investigate the relationship between race/ethnicity/nativity, demographic characteristics and the two marital events of interest: divorce and remarriage. First, race/ethnic/nativity differentials are estimated with and without controlling for demographic characteristics to see if group variations in composition influence divorce or remarriage. Second, race/ethnicity/nativity-specific models are run to see the influence of the demographic characteristics for each race/ethnic/nativity group. The final analysis includes interaction terms between the demographic characteristics and the race/ethnic/nativity groups to detect any significant race/ethnic/nativity differences in the influence of demographic characteristic on divorce or remarriage. The results suggest race/ethnic/nativity variations in demographic characteristics influence both divorce and remarriage. Additionally, associations between demographic characteristics and marital outcomes (divorce or remarriage) vary by race/ethnicity/nativity for divorce but not for remarriage.