Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/33356 
Year of Publication: 
2005
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 1788
Publisher: 
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
Divorce is a leap in the dark. This paper investigates whether people who split up actually become happier. Using the British Household Panel Survey, we are able to observe an individual's level of psychological wellbeing in the years before and after divorce. Our results show that divorcing couples reap psychological gains from the dissolution of their marriages. Men and women benefit equally. The paper also studies the effects of bereavement, of having dependent children, and of remarriage. We measure wellbeing using GHQ and life-satisfaction scores.
Subjects: 
divorce
happiness
GHQ
life satisfaction
longitudinal data
JEL: 
J12
I3
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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