“Until death do us part” seems to have a bit of a wrinkle according to research published this past February in the Journal of Marriage and Family.
According to Italian social scientists, Vignoli, Alderotti and Tomasic who conducted an 18-year study, marriages were more likely to fail when the wife was in poor health, when the wife was severely limited in her ability or was depressed. This was particularly true when the husband was in good health. If the husband was depressed and the wife wasn’t, the couple was no more likely to divorce.
When reviewing results from studies done in 27 European countries with couples from age from 50 – 64 and 65 and over, researchers found that it’s the wife who typically holds the burden and risk as a caregiver in most cases.
Their work demonstrates that it is more stressful for the couple’s marriage when the wife is ill than when the husband is unwell. They also note that women are often less likely to exit the marriage when they are more financially dependent and economically vulnerable.
Interestingly, other studies show that wives receiving care had an increased likeliness to report ‘gaps’ in their care when supports were provided by their husbands. The article, “In Sickness and in Health? Physical Illness as a Risk Factor for Marital Dissolution in Later Life”, published by the National Library of Medicine, also spoke on the gendered nature of caregiving and found that only a wife’s illness is associated with elevated risk of divorce.
When looking at Canadian demographics and potential risk factors for failed marriages highlighted by the Italian study here:
• 52% of females are at risk of being burned out or ill themselves given their time consumer care for adults and/or children at the same time.
• Divorce is more likely to occur when men are in a caregiving role, and women are more likely than men to provide dual care, or participate on caregiving activities that happen on a regular basis such as personal care.
• Caregiving, particularly for 15 or more hours a week, has been shown to significantly increases the intensity or frequency of physical, psychological, or urogenital symptoms in women.
• Those who provide care on both a formal and informal basis, face various health effects including psychological distress, lowered life satisfaction, social isolation, sleep disturbances, and higher blood pressure.
Seems clear, when women are caregivers, it’s not only their careers, their social lives, their health and their finances that are at risk… it’s their marriages too.
Publisher/Editor
Caroline Tapp-McDougall
caroline@bcsgroup.com
Image: Freepik
