The last French census (1999) found that almost all over-60s had been married only once. Both divorce and new union formation are uncommon at these ages, and conjugal life is most likely to be ended by the death of the lifetime partner. But probability of spousal loss is not the same for men and women. Excess male mortality coupled with partner age differentials (wives averaging three years you...

It cannot be recommended that either beneficiary status or duration of widowhood be given recognition in the calculation and projection of mortality rates for program cost estimation, based on this study. The significance of beneficiary status is not yet clear, while the effect of duration of widowhood follows no pattern. Widow beneficiaries have higher mortality rates than wife beneficiaries, ...

This article will examine how beveavement and widowhood affect wellbeing drawing on psychological, gerontological, and sociological research. The article will begin with an outline of what is meant by bereavement and widowhood. It will then present an overview of the effects that bereavement and widowhood has on wellbeing. In the next section, a brief history of approaches to bereavement will b...

A s of 2010, there were more than 14 million widowed persons in the U.s. population—nearly 3 million men and well more than 11 million women (U.s. Bureau of the Census, 2012, Table 57). About 13% of men and 40% of women aged 65 and older, and 57% of women aged 75 and older, are widows. This is, of course, just a single snapshot in time; nearly half of the population necessarily experience widow...

Changes in mental and physical health, morale and social functioning were assessed in a random sample of elderly women widowed during the course of an 8-year study, compared with never-married and still-married controls. The sample as a whole showed age-related declines in mental and physical health. As a function of ageing there were increases in personal disturbance and in physical health pro...

We investigate whether declines in the age difference between spouses has influenced widowhood and nursing home demand. We first use life-table methods to simulate the impact of the declining age gap on the risk of widowhood. We then use the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey and the Census Public Use Microdata Samples to estimate the impact of widowhood, and other characteristics, on the prob...

This article examines the impact of familial social support ties (indicated by marital status, kin availability, sources of economic support, and frequency and quality of emotional interaction) on subjective health perception among a sample of elderly men and women aged 60 and older in South India. We used 1993 survey data from three states of South India: Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka. We ...

PURPOSE We compare the economic consequences of widowhood for pre-retirement age and early-retirement age Black, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic White women. METHODS We use the 1992 and 2000 waves of the Health and Retirement Study to assess the effects of widowhood on the household incomes and assets of non-Hispanic White, Black, and Hispanic women who were 51 years of age or older at baseline (N...