Gender Differences in the Probability of Post-Divorce Rematching and the Quality of the New Match

Using data from a longitudinal post-divorce survey in Belgium we observe the probabilities of post-divorce repartnering and of post-divorce cohabiting with a new partner. We analyse the drivers of these rematching probabilities and find substantial differences between the sexes. We also analyse how the new match differs from the preceding marriage in terms of marital homogamy and the quality of the match. Marital homogamy in terms of earnings is higher in the post-divorce match for both men and women. Age homogamy on the other hand increases for women but decreases substantially for men. Men are specifically likely to repartner with younger women, while women are not likely to repartner with younger men. We proceed by proposing a simple index of the quality of a match and find that men on average repartner with a woman of higher quality, whereas the opposite holds for women.