Question

Why is adjustment to late-life divorce usually more difficult for women and adjustment to widowhood more difficult for men?

Answer 1

Widowhood and divorce are significantly distressing events in the life of an individual, with associated psychological ramifications. Divorce so late in life is particularly difficult for women. Between the marriage gradient and the limited size of the potential pool of eligible men, it is unlikely that an older divorced woman will remarry. Divorce in late adulthood can be devastating. For many women, marriage has been their primary role and the center of their identities, and they may view divorce as a major failure. As a consequence, happiness and the quality of life for divorced women will decrease. Also, they more often experience negative life events and physical and psychological ill-health. Furthermore, divorced women are likely to be exposed to economic hardship than men.

While, death of a spouse is more stressful and painful than any of the event in life. Especially those who married in young, the death of a spouse leads to profound feeling of loss and often brings about drastic changes in economic and social circumstances. Upon a partner's death, spouses suddenly assume a new and unfamiliar societal role: widowhood. At the same time, they lose the role with which they were most familiar: spouse. And it brings a variety of new demands and concerns. There is no longer a companion with whom to share the day's events. If the deceased spouse primarily carried out household chores, the surviving spouse must learn how to do these tasks and must perform them every day. When compared to women, adjustment to widowhood is more difficult for men. In the case of men, widowhood elevates the risk of mortality more than women. Also, widowhood may be more problematic for men because husbands receive more emotional support from their spouses. so, when they loss their spouse, they loss these emotional support. also, widowhood appears to be associated with subsequent declines in health more strongly for men than for women. because, now they are in their late adulthood, and having lots of physical problems and it is the time of facing empty nest syndrome. Also, widowed women interact more with, and/or receive more support from, kin and friends than do widowed men.

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