Divorce and intergenerational family obligations. Past research and current patterns in the Netherlands

Research has indicated that divorce, either in the parent or the adult child generation, often weakens the ties between adult children and their parents, notably the exchange of support in both directions. Most studies about this issue have focused on actual transfers between generations. Much less work has been done about the relevant values, norms, and attitudes. Yet, studying these can give important insights into the cultural rationale behind behavior and may also help explaining how feelings of mutual responsibility are distributed within families. Using data from the first wave of the Netherlands Kinship Panel Study (NKPS) we examined how divorce and repartnering affect attitudes towards intergenerational support. Contrary to what might be expected, the results show that divorce is positively associated with feeling of family obligations, even after controlling for the actual transfers of support between the generations and the perceived quality of the relationship.