Creative destruction? Startups and divorce

This presentation will lay the groundwork for an organizational perspective on the relationship between professional and personal lives, proposing in particular that more stable organizations, those characterized by higher levels of bureaucracy, engender lower levels of marital instability among their employees. Consistent with this expectation, an analysis of the Danish population reveals that startup employees have higher divorce rates compared to the employees of more established organizations. These results hold even when estimated using instrumental variables to account for selection into startup employment. But couple consistency also matters. Couples in which both individuals work for startups – even if different ones – have some of the lowest levels of divorce. The results add to the general discussion of what kind of jobs entrepreneurship creates.

Should you want to attend this talk, please register at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1QSjTcu-4qHK7P3iUQqB47Y4oY5pSmAU-dmeSLF5OwmE by Tuesday 11th noon. We will order a free sandwich for you (please mention any dietary preference) and will send you a copy of the paper.