Friday, 14th May 2010

Marriage and life expectancy

Marriage and life expectancy
Source: Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research

Related to life expectancy choosing a wife is easy for men - the younger the better. The mortality risk of a husband who is seven to nine years older than his wife is reduced by eleven percent compared to couples where both partners are the same age. Conversely, a man dies earlier when he is younger than his spouse.

For years, researchers have thought that this data holds true for both sexes. They assumed an effect called "health selection" was in play; those who select younger partners are able to do so because they are healthier and thus already have a higher life expectancy. It was also thought that a younger spouse has a positive psychological and social effect on an older partner and can be a better caretaker in old age, thereby helping to extend the partner’s life.

"These theories now have to be reconsidered", says Sven Drefahl from MPIDR. "It appears that the reasons for mortality differences due to the age gap of the spouses remain unclear." Using data from almost two million Danish couples, Drefahl was able to eliminate the statistical shortcomings of earlier research, and showed that the best choice for a woman is to marry a man of exactly the same age; an older husband shortens her life, and a younger one even more so (see figure 1).

Category:

• Age and Aging (DocuTicker)
• Gender and sexuality (DocuTicker)
• Health and healthcare (DocuTicker)
• Social and cultural issues (DocuTicker)

Source:

• Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research

Views: 356

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