Understanding the effects of widowhood on health in China: Mechanisms and heterogeneity

Qin Li, James Smith and Yaohui Zhao

The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, 2023, vol. 25, issue C

Abstract: This paper analyzes the impact of widowhood on the health of mid-aged and older individuals in China using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) data. Our results show that widowhood significantly increases the risk of depression, chronic diseases, and body pain while reducing cognitive function, sleeping time, and daily activity functions. The effects on depression and daily functions are immediate, that on chronic diseases is lagged, and the effects on cognitive function and sleeping hours persist over time. We find that rural widows are particularly vulnerable to negative health outcomes due to their weaker economic positions, for whom widowhood leads to more grandchild care responsibility and corresponding workforce and social withdrawals. Moreover, rural widows’ income loss is not compensated by children, either by co-residence or financial transfers, leading to reduced living standards. Overall, our findings suggest that China needs to strengthen economic security for older people, especially among rural women, in order to avoid significant negative consequences of widowhood.

Keywords: Widowhood; Short-term Effects; Health Outcomes; CHARLS; Time Allocation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H55 J12 J14 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:joecag:v:25:y:2023:i:c:s2212828x2300018x

DOI: 10.1016/j.jeoa.2023.100458

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