K-Herald

Widowers Die Faster Than Married Men

by 조선편집국 posted Oct 26, 2016

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The mortality rate among widowers and divorced men is around three times higher than among married men.

A study by Choi Jang-hoon at the Korea Insurance Research Institute shows that the mortality rate among widowers as of 2010 stood at 13.3 for every 1,000 men, compared to 3.2 for married men. The mortality rate among divorced men was 8.7.

Even among divorced men between 25 and 34 the mortality rate is 12.2 times higher than the average, the biggest gap among all age groups.

Among men between 35 to 64, the mortality rate is higher among widowers than divorcees, but for young men the mortality rate is higher among divorcees, suggesting that divorce delivers a bigger shock.

In the case of women, the mortality rate among widows (3.4) was higher than the rate among divorcees (3.3), but the difference was not as marked as men.

Choi said, "Being married is more beneficial to men's health than being single, but this trend is more pronounced among men than women."

He added that the country's strong family bonds also play a role.

But a comparison of 1990 and 2010 statistics on male and female divorcees shows a narrowing gap compared to married men and women.

In 1990, the mortality rate among male divorcees was 6.9 times higher than among their married counterparts, and among divorced women 4.4 times, but the gap narrowed since then, perhaps because divorce is no longer seen as such a disaster.