Divorce Attitudes Around the World: Distinguishing the Impact of Culture on Evaluations and Attitude Structure

Abstract

This article examines the link between culture and divorce attitudes using country-level data of the International Social Survey Programme 1994. Outside of examining the favorability of attitudes, we distinguish different types of attitudes based on whether the consequences of marital dissolution on children were considered when evaluating the acceptability of divorce. Testing competing hypotheses derived from attitude research and cross-cultural psychology, we demonstrate that (a) individualist societies exhibit more favorable divorce attitudes than collectivist societies but that (b) there is a curvilinear relationship between culture and type of divorce attitude, such that highly individualist and highly collectivist societies are similar with regard to the structure of prevailing divorce attitudes. The discussion focuses on the broader meanings of endorsing certain types of divorce attitudes in individualist and collectivist cultures. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT];This article examines the link between culture and divorce attitudes using country-level data of the International Social Survey Programme 1994. Outside of examining the favorability of attitudes, we distinguish different types of attitudes based on whether the consequences of marital dissolution on children were considered when evaluating the acceptability of divorce. Testing competing hypotheses derived from attitude research and cross-cultural psychology, we demonstrate that (a) individualist societies exhibit more favorable divorce attitudes than collectivist societies but that (b) there is a curvilinear relationship between culture and type of divorce attitude, such that highly individualist and highly collectivist societies are similar with regard to the structure of prevailing divorce attitudes. The discussion focuses on the broader meanings of endorsing certain types of divorce attitudes in individualist and collectivist cultures.;This article examines the link between culture and divorce attitudes using country-level data of the International Social Survey Programme 1994. Outside of examining the favorability of attitudes, we distinguish different types of attitudes based on whether the consequences of marital dissolution on children were considered when evaluating the acceptability of divorce. Testing competing hypotheses derived from attitude research and cross-cultural psychology, we demonstrate that (a) individualist societies exhibit more favorable divorce attitudes than collectivist societies but that (b) there is a curvilinear relationship between culture and type of divorce attitude, such that highly individualist and highly collectivist societies are similar with regard to the structure of prevailing divorce attitudes. The discussion focuses on the broader meanings of endorsing certain types of divorce attitudes in individualist and collectivist cultures.; This article examines the link between culture and divorce attitudes using country-level data of the International Social Survey Programme 1994. Outside of examining the favorability of attitudes, we distinguish different types of attitudes based on whether the consequences of marital dissolution on children were considered when evaluating the acceptability of divorce. Testing competing hypotheses derived from attitude research and cross-cultural psychology, we demonstrate that (a) individualist societies exhibit more favorable divorce attitudes than collectivist societies but that (b) there is a curvilinear relationship between culture and type of divorce attitude, such that highly individualist and highly collectivist societies are similar with regard to the structure of prevailing divorce attitudes. The discussion focuses on the broader meanings of endorsing certain types of divorce attitudes in individualist and collectivist cultures. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT];This article examines the link between culture and divorce attitudes using country-level data of the International Social Survey Programme 1994. Outside of examining the favorability of attitudes, we distinguish different types of attitudes based on whether the consequences of marital dissolution on children were considered when evaluating the acceptability of divorce. Testing competing hypotheses derived from attitude research and cross-cultural psychology, we demonstrate that (a) individualist societies exhibit more favorable divorce attitudes than collectivist societies but that (b) there is a curvilinear relationship between culture and type of divorce attitude, such that highly individualist and highly collectivist societies are similar with regard to the structure of prevailing divorce attitudes. The discussion focuses on the broader meanings of endorsing certain types of divorce attitudes in individualist and collectivist cultures. Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications, Inc.;