The Inverse Association Between Number of Siblings and Divorce: New Evidence From China and Europe

Abstract

In the U.S., evidence has emerged suggesting that divorce is lower among those with many versus few siblings, a pattern that may indicate that children develop important social skills via their childhood interactions with siblings. However, this pattern has yet to be tested in other countries with varying fertility and divorce rates. We extend the empirical basis of the sibship size/divorce literature by exploring the association in China and Europe, each with unique demographic characteristics. Each additional sibling is associated with an 11 percent decline in the probability of divorce in China and a two percent decline in Europe, net a wide range of covariates. We also test whether these patterns vary across cohorts and alternative coding schemes. The results have implications for our understanding of how growing up with siblings influences later life outcomes and the contextual features that form that relationship.