[YOU MAY DO THIS EXERCISE INDIVIDUALLY OR IN GROUPS OF TWO. IF YOU WORK WITH ANOTHER PERSON, BE SURE WRITE BOTH YOUR NAMES ON YOUR GRAPHS AND SUMMARY.]

In your data analysis paper, you examined changes in marital status over time and differences in marital status by income and race. In this exercise you will discover more about divorce in the United States

1, (MAR5090 in CENTREND) Follow three age cohorts (a cohort is a group of individuals born in the same decade) over time to trace the percent who are divorced or separated at different points in their lives. First, look at the percent of 15-24 year olds (the first cohort) who are divorced or separated in 1950, then look at the percent of 25-34 year olds (the same cohort ten years later) who are divorced in 1960, 34-44 year olds in 1970, 45-54 year olds in 1980, and 55-64 year olds in 1990. [Crosstab age by marital status and control for year. Follow the 15-24 year-old group from 1950 to 1960, when they are 25-34, and so on.] Next look at the percent of 15-24 year olds who were divorced or separated in 1960, the percent of 25-34 divorced or separated in 1970, etc. Finally, look at the percent of 15-24 year olds who were divorced or separated in 1970, the percent of 25-34 year olds who were divorced or separated in 1980, etc. Construct a graph or graphs to show your findings.

QUESTION: How do the life-time experiences of these three cohorts compare?

2. (MRR-YM and MRR-YW in CEN90) Look at the percent of young men and young women who are currently divorced in 1990 within different categories of education. [Look at a crosstab of education by marital status to find this information.] Construct a graph or graphs to show your findings.

QUESTIONS: Are the patterns for men and women the same? Which group is protected most from divorce by education.

3. (MARPOV9 in CUSTOM) Look at the income levels of household heads who are divorced or separated among men and women. [Crosstab marital status by income controlling for gender. FOR THIS CROSSTAB YOU WILL HAVE TO COMBINE THE DIVORCED AND SEPARATED CATEGORIES USING THE "COMBINE" COMMAND UNDER THE MODIFY MENU--SEE THE INSTRUCTION SHEET THAT CAME WITH THE YOUR DISK.] Construct a graph or graphs to show your findings.

QUESTION: Do men and women who are divorced and who are household heads have similar incomes? If there are differences, how large are they?

Write a brief summary of your results (1 - 1 1/2 typed pages).