The impact of divorce on women’s labor supply
Abstract
Divorce brings changes to the parties’ time use and economic conditions. In recent years, the divorce rates of urban and rural areas in China have continued to rise and caused many people to worry about the social stability and the welfare of women after divorce. This paper focuses on how divorce affects women’s labor supply and wage income. Using data from the China Household Finance Survey 2013-2019, we find that divorce generally promotes the probability of women participating in market labor. This is also consistent with our understanding that divorce will cause most women’s family income to decline significantly, thus they become more likely to participate in market labor to maintain their economic well-being. Our paper implies that women’s economic welfare may not deteriorate at all after divorce, and thus their will about marriage should be protected by relevant law.
Supporting agencies: the authors acknowledge the financial support from the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China (Humanities and Social Sciences Projects, Grant No. 18YJC790230).
About the Authors
Ya. Zhao
School of Business, East China University of Science and Technology
China
China
Yan Zhao - PhD in Economics, Associate Professor
130 China Meilong Road, Shanghai, 200231
J. Lan
School of Business, East China University of Science and Technology
China
China
Jinghui Lan - independent expert
130 China Meilong Road, Shanghai, 200231
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For citations:
Zhao Ya., Lan J. The impact of divorce on women’s labor supply. International Business. 2024;(1 (7)):44-52.
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