Divorce and inequality: Stratification in the risk and consequences of union dissolution

An influential argument in the Diverging Destinies literature is that union dissolution drives socioeconomic inequality. In this thesis, I scrutinize this argument through four empirical studies. First, I propose a framework that links union dissolution to inequality by considering stratification in the risk of dissolution and stratification in the consequences of dissolution. Second, I examine why people in the lower socioeconomic strata face a higher risk of union dissolution. Third, I examine what mechanisms drive (potential) stratification in the economic consequences of dissolution. Fourth, I describe the contextual correlates of kin support after dissolution. To conduct these studies, I make use of decomposition analyses and other innovative methods and apply these to a variety of data sources. The results show that union dissolution may contribute to inequality, but that the extent to which this happens is contingent on the outcome and the context. The results also demonstrate the benefits of a risk-and-consequences approach to inequality.