1. Introduction
Marriage and divorce : coexisting American institutions
Divorce and public policy
Outline of book
Data
Toward a balanced portrait of the divorce cycle
2. Why divorce begets divorce
Father absence
Institutionalized inequality : racism, poverty, and family structure
Towards a better explanation
Predivorce differences
Context and community
Socioeconomic explanations
Genetic differences
Parental conflict
Role modeling redux
Parental divorce and offspring marital problems
From family of origin to marital dissolution
3. Coupling and uncoupling
The demography of marriage
Why parental divorce affects offspring marriage timing
How parental divorce affects offspring marriage timing
Why the children of divorce have high rates of teenage marriage
Explaining low overall marriage rates for the children of divorce
Parental divorce and partner selection : family structure homogamy
How parental divorce affects partner selection
Conclusion
4. How strong is the divorce cycle?
How strong is the divorce cycle?
Differences by family type
Parental divorce, social background, and respondent characteristics
How social background and respondent characteristics affect the divorce cycle
Can unwed motherhood explain the divorce cycle?
Red herrings
Multiple marriages and multiple divorces
Conclusion


5. Historical developments
How divorce changed in the twentieth century
Explaining trends in marriage timing for the children of divorce
How has the marital behavior of people from divorced families changed over time?
Why marriage rates have declined
Explaining trends in the intergenerational transmission of divorce
How much has the divorce cycle abated?
Conclusion
6. The cohabitation revolution
How marriage and cohabitation differ
How parental divorce affects cohabiting relationships
Conclusion
7. Conclusion
Parental divorce and offspring marital behavior : a lifespan chronology
Marriage timing
Mate selection
What makes the divorce cycle stronger? : or weaker?
Historical trends
Parental divorce and offspring cohabiting relationships
Limitations
The divorce reform movement in America
The argument for no-fault laws
Mixed blessings
Appendix A. Data and methods
Data
Survey weights and clustering
Measuring family of origin
Socioeconomic variables
Temporal variables
Miscellaneous variables
Missing data
Analysis
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Appendix B. Evaluating the role of marriage differentials in the weakening divorce cycle.