Divorce in Europe and the United States: Commonalities and differences across nations

Although the United States has the highest divorce rate of any Western nation, divorce rates have been increasing in almost all European countries. In this review, we compare studies conducted in the United States and Europe that focus on three topics: (1) the demographic and economic predictors of divorce, (2) the estimated effects of divorce on adults, and (3) the estimated effects of divorce on children. This task is complicated by the substantial degree of diversity that exists across Europe, with research findings often varying across countries. Despite this complexity, a great deal of similarity in the causes and consequences of divorce exists across countries. Nevertheless, more research that directly compares the United States with specific European nations would add greatly to our understanding of these phenomena.