Women’s spousal choices and a man’s handshake: Evidence from Norway

Women’s spousal choices and a man’s handshake: Evidence from a Norwegian study of cohort differences

This much can be said right from the start. If you are male and unmarried, bad for your life expectancy. Some men would doubt that. Men benefit from being a sort of daredevil, or as the study puts it, "behavioral risk profile". Then the expected twist follows. Wives "benefit from the greater financial security provided by their husbands". Now that's surprising. There's more funny stuff where that came from. Enjoy!

Introduction 

Understanding the relationship between marriage and functional level requires that we can explain how men and women are sorted into marriage as well as how health trajectories may be subsequently affected by the presence or influence of a spouse. Evidence from Norway indicates that mortality risks are elevated for those who are not married, particularly for men (Berntsen, 2011). Researchers generally agree that married people enjoy better health and longevity, although the health ‘premium’ of marriage also appears to be larger for men than women (Aizer et al., 2013; Lamb, Lee, & DeMaris, 2003; Lillard & Waite, 1995; Robles, 2014). 

The mechanisms responsible for better health among the married are also thought to differ for men and women. Whereas husbands benefit more from improved behavioral risk profiles, wives benefit from the greater financial security provided by their husbands (Reczek, Pudrovska, Carr, Thomeer, & Umberson, 2016). Wives encourage healthier behaviors and preventive care, while discouraging unhealthy lifestyles and providing social support. In contrast, wives benefit from enhanced economic circumstances and health benefits that stem from the additional resources that a joint household represents, particularly if they are not employed themselves (Waldron, Hughes, & Brooks, 1996).

We now turn to the importance of grip strength. Which male does not!

Low grip strength among those who lack a partner can imply a lower capacity to cope with everyday challenges and less healthy daily routines, including nutrition and activities. The fact that many are alone with low grip could imply that more attention needs to be given to this group, particularly given their relatively poor health. Even in high income welfare states such as Norway, the provision of care and assistance to disabled older individuals often falls on their spouses (Aronson & Neysmith, 1997; Soma & Yamashita, 2011) — and to wives in particular (Costa‐Font, Karlsson, & Øien, 2016; Lee & Tang, 2013). Reliance on this informal network of care assumes that older men who require care in later life will have wives available to provide it. Marriage, particularly when one partner is physically impaired or requires assistance, can be central to the health of the couple. 

As women tend to outlive men, albeit often in poorer health, the gender dimension is important to understand health outcomes and marriage (Liu & Waite, 2014; Miller, Hollist, Olsen, & Law, 2013). Trends in gender specific health and marriage could therefore be important determinants of the sustainable of welfare states (Carone et al., 2005; Langer et al., 2015). However, our results hint that women may be favoring partners who signal strength and vigor when they marry. If longer-lived women marry healthier men, then both may avoid or defer the role of caregiver, while less healthy men remain unmarried and must look elsewhere for assistance. Women’s economic dependence has been reduced as women have become more educated, more skilled, more experienced, and more inclined towards employment. Men’s ‘health dependence’ may require a different sort of education and experience as well as new housing alternatives that provide more collective in lieu of spousal support.

If you are looking for some fun reading, Pdf is here.

Bonus trivia: A similar study was made in Japan. Here with the additional benefit of alcohol consumption.