Centre for Policy on Ageing



Gender differences in the relationship between marital status transitions and life satisfaction in later life
Author(s)	Judith G Chipperfield, Betty Havens
Journal title	Journals of Gerontology: Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, vol 56B, no 3, May 2001
Pages	pp P176-P186
Keywords	Life satisfaction ; Marital status ; Older men ; Older women ; Longitudinal surveys ; Canada.
Annotation	This study examined life satisfaction among individuals who had undergone a transition in marital status (losing or gaining a spouse) and those whose marital status remained stable over a 7-year period. In particular, life satisfaction was assessed for 2,180 married Canadian men and women aged 67 to 102. For those whose marital status remained stable, women's life satisfaction declined and men's remained constant. Among those who experienced a transition - in particular the loss of a spouse - a decline in life satisfaction was found for both men and women, decline being more predominant for men. In addition, men's life satisfaction increased over the 7-year period if they gained a spouse, whereas the same was not true for women. Generally, these findings imply differences in how men and women experience change or stability in their marital status. (RH).
Accession Number	CPA-010711205 A
Classmark	F:5HH: SLM: BC: BD: 3J: 7S
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.