Divorce Penalty Sees Men Lose More Income Than Women

Divorce is expensive, and researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis quantified some of the losses.

After separation, men’s incomes on average drop 17% while they decline 9% for women, researchers said in a blog post Monday. Employed people who went through a divorce in the past 12 months saw a 12% cut in income, earning less than peers who didn’t go through a divorce.

Among married men — who tend to earn more than other workers — the youngest pay the highest financial penalty, with those around 28 years old slammed with a 43% decline in ...