Health Consequences of Marriage for the Retirement Years

TitleHealth Consequences of Marriage for the Retirement Years
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2000
AuthorsPienta, AM, Hayward, MD, Jenkins, KRahrig
JournalJournal of Family Issues
Volume21
Issue5
Pagination559-586
Call Numberpubs_2001_Pienta-etal_JOFI2000.pdf
KeywordsAdult children, Demographics, Health Conditions and Status, Retirement Planning and Satisfaction
Abstract

Over the last few decades there has been an increasing trend toward divorce, postponed marriage, never marrying, and cohabitation. It is also known that marriage increases ones health, mainly because of the ability to gain from the help of a spouse or other relatives that transfer finances and time to the married person. How will changes in marriage trends effect the health of people as they reach retirement ages? What aspects of health are linked to marriage? Married persons from this data were the least likely to be afflicted by any of the diseases or limitations studied. Widowed and divorced persons were found to have the worst overall health of any two groups. However, cohabiting people were not much better off then the widowed or divorced persons. The authors also break down the data further and compare genders and races. Exiting marriage, surprisingly, was worse then never having been married.

DOI10.1177/019251300021005003
Endnote Keywords

Marital Status/Retirement Planning/Health Status/Gender

Endnote ID

8452

Citation Key6711