Childbearing and Dissolution of the Second Marriage

The relationship between childbearing and dissolution of the 2nd marriage among white women was examined using 1987-88 National Survey of Families and Households data and a probability sample of 713 non-Hispanic white women aged 19 and older who have been married 2 or more times whose 2nd marriage occurred between 1965 and 1988 and who were age 39 or younger at their 2nd marriage. Life table analysis determined the probability of dissolving the 2nd marriage and then the probability of giving birth in the 2nd marriage was examined. A multivariate analysis with logistic regression included 1) a variable indicating whether the woman had an intermarital birth and 2) another variable indicating whether the woman entered the 2nd marriage with a child under age 6. Women who gave birth in the 2nd marriage had a significantly reduced probability of dissolution while childbearing prior to remarriage was linked to a significantly increased risk of dissolution in the first 5 years of the 2nd marriage. About 29% of the remarried women were likely to end their 2nd marriage within 5 years of remarriage. At 10 years about half of the remarriages were likely to dissolve. Dissolution of the 2nd marriage was highest in the first few years of remarriage and remained relatively high during the 6th through 10th years of remarriage. In the 2nd marriage about one third of the women were likely to give birth within 2 years of remarriage. By 6 years approximately three fifths of the women might give birth. About half of the women who gave birth in the 2nd marriage did so within 18 months of remarrying; this increased to 80% at 3 years and only about 5% at 5 or 6 years. Another analysis examined 1037 observations at the 6th through 19th years of remarriage. Giving birth in the 2nd marriage was associated with a reduction in dissolution in the 6th through 19th years of remarriage. Giving birth prior to remarriage had no significant association with dissolution in the 6th through 10th year of remarriage. The results suggest that bringing school-age children into a new marriage is linked to an increased risk of dissolution.