Wolfinger, Nicholas H. (2003, September).

¶ … Wolfinger, Nicholas H. (2003, September). Parental divorce and offspring marriage: Early or late? Social Forces, 83(1): 337-353

In his 2003 article, "Parental divorce and offspring marriage: Early or late?" from the academic journal Social Forces, researcher Nicholas Wolfinger attempts to explain two apparently incongruous findings about the children of divorced parents. Some studies suggest that children of divorced parents are more apt to marry later in life, out of presumed reluctance to wed, as they have seen the negative example of their parents. Other studies have found the opposite, that children of divorce are actually more likely to marry young. Wolfinger's analysis adds an important aspect of temporality and historical context to previous research findings. In doing so, he reconciles seemingly irreconcilable conclusions.

Both scenarios have plausible reasoning for being valid: children of divorce might be understandably reluctant about entering into wedlock, given the example they witnessed while maturing during their formative years. On the other hand, children of divorce are often from less affluent social backgrounds than children of intact families. As mothers frequently assume the role as primary caregiver and breadwinner in divorced households, their children may have less financial means growing up. Poorer adolescents are more likely to marry young and repeat negative marital patterns once wedded. The desire to escape an uncomfortable home situation is another factor that can give rise to a younger age at one's first marriage, along with greater emotional neediness.

By analyzing the findings of the 1973-1994 General Social Survey, Wolfinger came to the conclusion that while overall children of divorced families are more apt to marry at a younger age, if the children of divorce remain single past the age of twenty, their chances of marrying decrease below that of their peers from intact families (Wolfinger, 2003, p. 339), Additionally, there is also a substantial generational component: while overall, children of divorced parents before the year 1994 were more likely to marry young, after that year the chances of younger marriage decreased for children of divorced families. In fact, children from divorced households of all age groups were less, rather than more likely to marry young than their counterparts from intact homes.