Does a Child's Gender Correlate With the Divorce Rate? This Study Says Yes!

A recent study shows that parents are somewhat more likely to get divorced -- if their first child is a girl! So says an article written by veteran newspaper editor and reporter Don Moore, recently retired from the Port Charlotte, FL Sun-Herald. He talks about a report produced by Dr. Enrico Moretti, an economics professor at the University of California, Berkeley and Dr. Gordon Dahl, professor of economics at the University of California, San Diego.

Their report, "The Demand for Sons," appeared in a recent edition of "The Review of Economic Studies." Your divorce rate increases approximately four percent if you have a daughter as a first child instead of a son," Moretti says.

"We did compare families who had two daughters with families that had two sons. What we discovered was that a couple with two daughters is more likely to have a third child trying to have a son," Moretti explained.

The professor said he didn't believe there is any difference between races, but it's hard to compare divorce rates across races.

He also added that, "Women whose first child is a boy are four percent more likely to remain married than those whose first child is a girl. In general, the better the woman's education, the later the fertility, the lower the divorce rate."

The 50-page study on gender and divorce also found that a first-born daughter is significantly less likely to be living with their father compared to a first-born son.

The three reasons for this conclusion include:

1. Women who have daughters first are less likely to be married.
2. Parents with first born daughters are more likely to be divorced.
3. Fathers are more likely to obtain custody of a son than a daughter.

"The effect is quantitatively substantial, accounting for a 3.1 percent lower probability of a resident father for families with a first-born girl. We estimate that in any given year (in the U.S.) roughly 52,000 first-born daughters under the age of 12 would have had a resident father if they had been boys," the report says.

The article says there are other statistical differences caused by families with first-born daughters. These families have lower incomes and higher poverty rates. "For children in families with an absentee father due to the first-born daughter effect, family income is reduced by 50 percent and the chances of poverty are increased by 34 percent. Notably, children whose first-born sibling is a girl have lower educational achievement," the study indicates.

Professor Alan Booth, a professor of sociology, human development and demography at Pennsylvania State University, generally agreed with most of Moretti's and Dahl's findings. "I know this to be true. Families that have a boy as a first child are more likely to stay together than if their first child is a female," Professor Booth said. "Gender bias in the U.S. favors boys."

According to Dr. Booth, one of the reasons married couples prefer boys in the U.S. is that when they grow up they are more likely to make more money than girls. Another factor affecting economics is that couples whose first two children are girls are more likely to have a third child than if they have two boys.

This may come as a surprise to many of us who thought that gender bias on this level was unlikely in America. Dr. Booth does go on to say, "More recently the gender preference in the U.S. is beginning to be more positive for girls. This is because there are more women in the labor force today, women are more independent today than they once were, and women's attitudes are less traditional and there are also other factors involved."

I don't know if any of these statistics are relevant to the divorces of any of my readers. But I thought I'd share this as a point for conversation and introspection. Would your marital circumstances be any different today had your children been of a different gender? Would your relationship have been different? What about your financial circumstances? Something to contemplate.

As always, I welcome your feedback.

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Rosalind Sedacca,CCT is a Certified Corporate Trainer and author of How Do I Tell the Kids about the Divorce? A Create-a-Storybook(TM) Guide to Preparing Your Children - with Love! which can be found at http://www.howdoitellthekids.com. Her free articles and ezine are available at www.childcentereddivorce.com.

Copyright Rosalind Sedacca 2009

ChildSharing Introduces its Newest Course: Anger Management for Co-Parents

ChildSharing, Inc. is pleased to announce the release of their newest course, Anger Management for Co-Parents. This 8-hour program is designed to help divorced or separated parents manage their anger while coping with divorce and parenting issues. It is available for parents who are court-mandated to take the course as well as for those who want to access the material for their own benefit.
The new on-line class is easy to read and comprehend. It includes video segments that illuminate typical challenges co-parents face during and after a divorce. Topics included range from understanding the effect of anger on others to learning alternative communication skills to how to handle anger more productively. Every segment provides advice, tips, resources and skills that are immediately usable offered in a non-judgmental, compassionate format followed by insightful quizzes at the end of each chapter.
The course is self-paced and can be broken down into sections that are completed at the attendee’s convenience. After passing the multiple choice questions in the Final Exam, a completion certificate will be issued and also sent to the court.
The Anger Management for Co-Parents class was created by licensed mental health counselor Amy Sherman, LMHC and founder of the Child-Centered Divorce Network, Rosalind Sedacca, CCT on behalf of ChildSharing.
ChildSharing.com launched in late 2008 and provides interactive co-parenting classes, family law information as well as county-specific details to provide families with the knowledge and resources they need as they transition through divorce into their new lives.
Michelle Muncy, ChildSharing, Inc.’s President, says “We are proud to be launching this newest ChildSharing course at this time. Courts around the nation have requesting this material from us and we know it will be a valuable resource for enhancing co-parenting success for many families. This course is another cost effective and efficient solution to meeting the growing need for court-mandated parent education requirements.”
ChildSharing, Inc. is rapidly gaining attention throughout the country because of its innovative approach to disseminating divorce-related content. ChildSharing provides economic relief to the demand on county resources so they may provide education to parents who may not have otherwise received it. The entire program is built for the counties, at no cost to them, to integrate and offer to their residents.
Parents interested in accessing the course will find it at http://www.childsharing.com. The 8-hour on-line class costs $159.99.
About ChildSharing, Inc.
Founded in 2008, ChildSharing, Inc. is dedicated to advancing the field of child-sharing as a means of better educating families faced with divorce. Guided by a strong development team, ChildSharing works with experts throughout the United States to provide its members with the most comprehensive information and other resources for educating families in transition. For more information about ChildSharing, Inc. and its team of experts, visit http://www.ChildSharing.com.
Media interested in scheduling an interview with ChildSharing, Inc. representatives regarding the new Anger Management course should contact Michelle Muncy at michelle@childsharing.com or 805-550-3663. Rosalind Sedacca can be reached at Rosalind@childcentereddivorce.com and Amy Sherman can be reached at amybethsherman@gmail.com.