Can’t Wait Any Longer? The Effects of Shorter Waiting Periods on Divorce and Remarriage

Abstract

Abstract Since the 1990s, many U.S. states have enacted or lengthened the waiting periods required for parties to divorce with the goal of strengthening marriage or at least discouraging divorce. I use the length of time by which some states have shortened their waiting periods to analyze how such waiting periods affect remarriage rates. I find that when the waiting period is shortened to 1.5 years or less, remarriage rates decrease for relatively young people but increase for older people. To the extent that remarriage is pivotal for older women impoverished by divorce to recover economically and emotionally, my results suggest that—though longer waiting periods might preserve some marriages—a prolonged period might reduce the welfare of older divorced women by hampering their remarriage prospects.