Negotiating Divorce Outcomes: Can We Identify Patterns in Divorce Settlements?

As nuclear families have become increasingly less stable over the past quarter of a century, married couples have been faced with the difficult task of negotiating the terms by which marriage is ended. For parents, divorce involves questions revolving around the care and sustenance of children. In this study, we investigate whether observed divorce settlements suggest that parents make trade-offs between several dimensions related to their children, including custody, visitation, child support, and the marital property. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972, we find evidence consistent with the notion that parents make trade-offs. We also suggest a framework within which these results can be interpreted.