The Impact of Child Disability on Divorced Mother’s Union Formation

Maryhelen D. MacInnes, Michigan State University

This study aims to assess the impact of children’s disability status on their mothers’ union formations. The literature clearly indicates that children with disabilities destabilize their parent’s marriages. However, minimal research has been done to assess the impact of children’s disability status on their mothers’ later ability to form new unions. There is reason to suspect that the disability status of children should impact their mother’s future union formation. Children, generally, are a barrier to remarriage. Given the increased needs of children with disabilities, such children may be an even more considerable barrier to remarriage. However, given such needs, women raising such children may be more highly motivated to re-partner than are other women. In this study, I set out to explore whether divorced women who are raising children with disabilities differ in their likelihood of remarriage or cohabitation.