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The Decline in Marriage in Israel, 1960–2007: Period or Cohort Effect?

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Abstract

Over the past four decades, the more developed countries have experienced a marked decline in the marriage rates of both men and women. The reasons for the decline remain a debated issue. Three explanations predict that the decline in marriage is a period effect, while two predict that it is a birth cohort effect. To determine whether the decline is a period or a cohort effect, this study performed an age–period–cohort analysis. Using data from Israel, our results show that both cohort replacement and period factors were important. Until 1990–1994 the decline in marriage was a period effect, whereas after 1990–1994 the decline was a cohort effect. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of our results for the three major explanations of the decline in marriage.

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Source: European Social Survey (2010). Note: The figure only includes Jewish women and men born in Israel or who immigrated before age ten. The number of cases for each cohort is 134 (1940–1949), 203 (1950–1959), 183 (1960–1969), 254 (1970–1979), 246 (1980–1989)

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Acknowledgements

The research for this paper was supported by a grant from the National Insurance Institute of Israel. Earlier versions were presented at a colloquium at the Vienna Institute of Demography, August 2012, and at the Annual Meeting of the Population Association of America, New Orleans, April 2013. We would like to thank three anonymous reviewers and the editors for their comments.

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  1. Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Hebrew University, Mount Scopus, 91905, Jerusalem, Israel

    Jona Schellekens

  2. Faculty of Law, Hebrew University, Mount Scopus, 91905, Jerusalem, Israel

    David Gliksberg

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Correspondence to Jona Schellekens.

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Schellekens, J., Gliksberg, D. The Decline in Marriage in Israel, 1960–2007: Period or Cohort Effect?. Eur J Population 34, 119–142 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10680-017-9457-x

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