Marital Status as a Determinant of Life Expectancy and Wellbeing
The Case of Greece
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13082008 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Vasilis Gavalas (0000-0002-2587-309X, University of the Aegean, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 104-104 |
| Publication date | 2025-10-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Genealogy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2313-5778 • E-ISSN: 2313-5778 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/genealogy9040104 |
| OpenAlex | W4414760292 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 10 |
It has been proven that marital status affects health outcomes, with marriage often linked to greater longevity and wellbeing. However, while married individuals generally exhibit higher life expectancy, the ordering among other marital statuses (never married, divorced, widowed) can vary by gender and socio-cultural context. This study examines the evolving relationship between marital status and life expectancy in Greece over a 30-year period (1991–2021). Utilizing Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) data specifically commissioned for this research, it constructs life tables by marital status, incorporating, for the first time in Greece, life tables for those in civil partnerships for 2021. While life expectancy improved across all marital statuses, married individuals consistently had the highest longevity, whereas those in civil partnerships are expected to live less than married individuals. Furthermore, widowers experienced a substantial increase in life expectancy, while by 2021, divorced males had the lowest life expectancy among men and divorced females showed the highest mortality rates at older ages among women. The relative position of never-married individuals improved over the period. Never-married women generally outlived never-married men, with this gap widening for the divorced. The most compelling finding is that the difference in mortality among family status categories appears to have diminished over time in Greece
Expectancy theory · Family life · Life course approach · Life expectancy · Life span · Longevity · Marital relationship · Marital status · Employment and Welfare Studies · Health disparities and outcomes · Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
Life expectancy and active life expectancy by marital status among older U.S. adults
The Protective Effect of Marriage for Survival
US mortality by economic, demographic, and social characteristics
The increase in marital status differences in mortality up to the oldest age in seven European countries, 1990–99
Meta-analysis of marital dissolution and mortality
Excess mortality among the unmarried
Marital Status, Marital Transitions, and Health
Til Death Do Us Part
| Highly cited | No |
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