The author examines the relevance of various analytical tools developed in the study of economics to the study of the segregation of conjugal roles and other aspects of marriage and divorce. In particular, he examines the relationship between the availability of work for wives outside the home and marital instability. He attempts to demonstrate that the key variable is the ratio of wage rates and nonmarket productivities between spouses, using data from a French survey of 2,000 women living in urban areas in 1971. (summary in ENG)