CHILDBEARING AND DISSOLUTION OF THE 2ND MARRIAGE

Using 1987-88 National Survey of Families and Households data, this study examines the relationship between childbearing and dissolution of the second marriage among white women. Women who give birth in the second marriage have a significantly reduced probability of dissolution. Childbearing prior to remarriage is associated with a significantly increased risk of dissolution in the first 5 years of the second marriage, no association is found at longer durations. An examination of the timing of births occurring before the second marriage shows that entering the second marriage with a preschool-age child or having an intermarital birth is not related to dissolution. The results suggest that bringing school-age children into a new marriage is associated with an increased risk of dissolution. The implications of the results are discussed.