The impact of welfare reform on marriage and divorce
By: Marianne P. Bitler ... [et al.].
Contributors: Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
Series: Working paper series / Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta ;; 2002-9; Working paper series (Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta : Online) ;; 2002-9.
Publisher: Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
Published: 2002
Place of publication: [Atlanta, Ga.]
Language: eng
Format: Electronic resource
Subjects: Public welfare -- United States -- Econometric models.; Divorce -- Economic aspects -- United States -- Econometric models.; Marriage -- Economic aspects -- United States -- Econometric models.
Description: "The goal of the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) was to end the dependency of needy parents on government benefits, in part by promoting marriage; the pre-reform welfare system was widely believed to discourage marriage because it primarily provided benefits to single mothers.  However, welfare reform may have actually decreased the incentives to be married by giving women greater financial independence via the program's new emphasis on work.  This paper uses Vital Statistics data on marriages and divorces during 1989-2000 to examine the role of welfare reform and other state-level variables on marriage and divorce rates.  The results indicate that implementation of TANF is negatively associated with marriage and divorce rates, as are pre-TANF waivers from the AFDC program in some specifications.  JEL classification: I3, J1"--Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta web site.
Notes: Also available in print.
Includes bibliographical references.
Title from PDF file as viewed on 3/14/2005.
System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Mode of access: World Wide Web.