Recent Changes in Marriage Formation and Dissolution Behaviour in Czechia

Friederike Feige
Demografie, 65(4): 200–217
https://doi.org/10.54694/dem.0334

Abstract
Marriage formation and dissolution behaviours have changed significantly over time in Czechia. This article studies in greater detail the marital behaviour changes observed in the period 1993–2022 using the LIPRO 4.0 multistate programme, which allows for a detailed analysis of changes in life expectancy according to years spent in each marital state, marriage formation and dissolution behaviours, and the average ages at the time of different marital status events. The probabilities for the transition to the divorced and to the remarried state at selected ages are also presented, along with a status-quo projection of the Czech population until 2030. The results indicate the continued postponement of marriage and subsequent marital events. Czechs have been spending an increasing time never-married since the establishment of Czechia. However, recent improvements in first marriage and remarriage rates at the same time as declining divorce rates since 2019 suggest a renewed interest in marriage. Despite these positive developments, the population projection indicates a continued increase in the never-married population.

Keywords
multistate life tables, marital status, marriage formation and dissolution, Czechia