The educational gradient in marital disruption: A meta-analysis of European research findings

A large number of empirical studies have investigated the effects of women’s education on union dissolution in Europe, but their results have varied substantially. This paper seeks to assess the relationship between educational attainment and the incidence of marital dissolution by systematising the existing empirical evidence on the topic. A quantitative literature review (a meta-analysis) was conducted to investigate the temporal change of the relationship, net of the across-study differences. The results point to a weakening of the positive educational gradient in marital dissolution over time, and even to a reversal of this gradient in some countries. The findings also showed that the change in the educational gradient can be linked to an increase in access to divorce. Finally, the results suggested that women’s empowerment has played a potent role in shaping the change in the educational gradient, while the liberalisation of divorce laws has not.