The Impact of No-Fault Unilateral Divorce Laws on Divorce Rates in Mexico

B-Tier
Journal: Economic Development & Cultural Change
Year: 2021
Volume: 70
Issue: 1
Pages: 203 - 236

Authors (2)

Score contribution per author:

1.005 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Between 2008 and 2017, Mexican states introduced no-fault unilateral divorce, which allowed married individuals to seek a divorce without the consent of their spouse. In this paper, we exploit variation in the state-level adoption of the reforms to investigate the consequences of the divorce law liberalization. Based on an event study design, our results suggest that no-fault divorce dramatically increased divorce rates in the 3 years following the reform. We next consider how the reform affected divorce filings and divorce settlements. We find that no-fault divorce increased individual divorce filings, especially among women, and lowered the frequency of spousal alimony payments.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:ucp:ecdecc:doi:10.1086/706826
Journal Field
Development
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-02-02