The Dynamics of Divorce 73
forced to?) master is “advanced” parenting skills. Many young
men tell me that they belatedly discover the more maternal or
female side of themselves while caring solo for their children dur-
ing custodial or visitation periods.
The Economics of Divorce
By all means marry. If you get a good wife, you will become very happy. If you
get a bad one, you will become a philosopher—and that is good for any man.
—Socrates
Divorce makes everybody poorer—at least initially. The Califor-
nia Children of Divorce Project found that three-fifths of the men
and three-quarters of the women underwent significant declines
in their standards of living commencing abruptly after separa-
tion. The major difference is that men rebound faster. Numerous
recent studies show that the adverse long-term economic ramifi-
cations of divorce are much worse for women than for men.
Women suffer significant economic losses following divorce.
Surveys show that women’s family incomes drop by an average
of about 20 percent in the first year after dissolution. This com-
pares particularly unfavorably to the average first-year losses of
less than 10 percent for men (which are in turn often followed by
rapid rebounds). These losses are even greater in comparison to
intact couples who gain about 17 percent during that same time
frame.
Largely due to successful remarriages, some women appear
to regain their prior economic status within five years. Women
in low-income households actually improve their economic sta-
tus on average following a divorce, but those in previously high-
income households suffer losses of up to 50 percent or more.
Meanwhile, the man has oftentimes increased his standard of
living by a substantial margin.
Even those women who are entitled to receive money follow-
ing their divorce have a hard time collecting it. Of those women
who get divorced and are entitled to child-support payments,
only about three-fourths actually receive them. Even then, only
half receive full payment. Women below the poverty level are