Marital status + health Flashcards
compare those who are married/co-habiting with those who are not
not:
higher mortality, higher morbidity, more mental health problems, worse health behaviours
what is widowhood effect?
risk of dying within 2 years of your spouse dying increases. if don’t die within the 2 year “grieving period” risk of death is no diff from average popln.
have to take out shared causes when establishing death within 2 years of spouse death bc may be due to same cause.
explain better health of married vs non-married
not social connection, or health ppl more likely to be married. causal.
maybe financial support = less stress, maybe psychollogically beneficial, maybe motivation for healthier life.
what is retreat from marriage?
tendency for ppl to delay marriage. often co-habiting or living apart in serious relationships or. waiting to complete other markers in life (career, education) before marrying.
as well, divorce rates are high. in next relationship maybe not choosing marriage.
are the health benefits for being married decreasing in value?
no, overall health benefits are the same. living in society with more freedom = marriages that do last have the benefits of health.
are the health benefits of marriage the same for all married people?
2 factors
depends on QUALITY of marriage.
–> more satisfaction, less conflict = better health.
depends on prior marital history
–> more previous marriages = receive fewer health benefits (ex: co parent with ex = no separation of relationship)
are health benefits for men + women same?
sex role hypothesis: in past, social role dependent on sex. men had more freedom, independence. women = at home, low fulfillment, decreased health.
now, more women have fulfillment, satisfaction in relationship.
but - sex role hypothesis still exists in countries where equality is not a thing (ie. India)
does cohabitation improve health to same extent as marriage?
mixed evidence:
as healthy, or intermediate btw non-married and married.
maybe less beneficial than married bc less security in relationship. one partner more likely to leave.
do same sex relationships offer similar health benefits as heterosexual?
dunno. research hasn’t been great. longitudinal has been short bc legalized marriage been around for only 10 years. still have to work on how best to study same-sex relationships + health outcomes.
life course approach. 4
lives are anchored in time + space. 2. linked lives. 3. human agency relevant to understanding broader social structures. 4. timing of lives “schedule” of events.
