THE ROLE OF THE STATE IN FAMILY LIFE: STATES' AFDC PAYMENTS AND DIVORCE RATES IN THE UNITED STATES

An earlier examination of the relationship between states' per capita expenditures for public welfare and their divorce rates found no relationship between the two for observations prior to 1985. However in 1985, the two were related, states' public welfare expenditures being inversely predictive of their divorce rates: the less states' spent for public welfare, the higher their divorce rates, and conversely, the more they spent, the lower their divorce rates. Translated, this meant that family life was less stable in states that did less to support family life and more stable in states that did more to support family life. This finding is important because of the wide‐spread belief that government social programs undermine family life and foster family break‐up.