Stephen Jenkins (Institute for Social and Economic Research, Council of the International Association for Research on Income and Wealth) came to the conclusion in a long-term study that men in Great Britain improved considerably economically after a divorce, whereas women deteriorated. This statement is often true even when it is not a question of fathers and mothers, i.e. when the question of providing for children is not at issue.
In contrast, the study The Economic Consequences of Separation and Divorce commissioned by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs states: Although the labour force participation of divorced households is slightly higher than that of married couples, divorced and separated households are clearly overrepresented in the lower income classes. However, divorced men are less affected by the negative effects than divorced women.
Since the 2008 reform of maintenance law, single parents in Germany can only expect childcare maintenance from their ex-partner if their child is under three years old, unless there is a claim for equitable maintenance (for example, if there is no childcare available).
In Germany, pension entitlements acquired during marriage are generally divided equally. However, since 2009 there has been the option for one spouse to opt for an individual solution - e.g. in the case of a company pension scheme - in order to compensate for disadvantages in the event of divorce. An extension of maintenance obligations in the case of long marriages planned for 2013 was intended to increase the amount of lifelong maintenance claims in the case of long marriages beyond that limited by disadvantages due to marriage.
