Unmarried older people: Are they socially better off today?

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Abstract

Objectives. Previous studies have shown that unmarried older adults are generally at disadvantage in personal networks and social well-being compared to the married. It can be questioned whether their situation has improved in contemporary society, as amongst others the stigma of divorce and being never-married has declined. We hypothesize differential developments in networks and well-being according to marital status (married, widowed, divorced and never-married) across birth cohorts.
Method. Data are from the 1993 and 2013 observations of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam on Dutch people aged 55-69 (N = 2,894) and 70-84 years (N = 2,317). We employ general linear modelling of network size and diversity, received emotional and instrumental support, emotional and social loneliness, and depressive symptoms.
Results. The widowed are better off socially in 2013 than in 1993. Similar to the divorced they have a larger network, and similar to the never-married they receive more emotional support and are less emotional lonely. We find some gender-differences in these developments.
Discussion. Societal change has not radically altered networks and well-being of unmarried older people. The widowed seem to benefit most, possibly because they are better able to retain relationships after widowhood.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1463-1473
Number of pages11
JournalThe Journals of Gerontology. Series B : Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences
Volume74
Issue number8
Early online date11 Oct 2018
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2019

Funding

This work was supported by a grant to the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam from the Netherlands Ministry of Health Welfare and Sports, Directorate of Long-Term Care. The data collection in 2012–2013 was supported by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) in the framework of the project “New Cohorts of young old in the 21st century” (file number 480-10-014). B. Suanet’s work was supported by a Veni grant from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) (file number 451-14-019).

FundersFunder number
Netherlands Ministry of Health Welfare and Sports, Directorate of Long-Term Care
Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek451-14-019, 480-10-014

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