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Abstract
The divorce rate has risen sharply in all western countries since the late 1960s. This study investigates the causes of the trend and the sources of variation in divorce rates between countries. Age specific divorce rates are presented for fifteen countries from 1960 to 1984. The trend in divorce is analysed using decomposition analysis and age-period cohort models. Three explanations for the upward trend are examined: changing divorce laws, rising economic opportunities and shifting family values. Cross-national analyses reveal that divorce law liberalisation had only short term effects on the divorce rate and can not be considered the underlying cause of the increase. Both rising economic opportunities, particularly the expansion of service sector employment opportunities for women, and shifts in family values, and in the normative definition of appropriate adult roles do appear to be related to the increase in divorce rates.
