Marriages have been a topic of research for many scientists with a general notion that marriages tend to be beneficial; however, a new research has claimed that while men tend to gain a lot from marriage specifically in the health department, women hardly benefit at all.
The research found that single men suffered more health problems than their married counterparts, while there was no such benefit in case of women. Researchers at University College London, the London School of Economics and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine revealed through their study found that unmarried men suffered more negative health effects than single women.
As far as women are concerned, researchers revealed that middle-aged women who had never married had virtually the same chance of developing metabolic syndrome – a combination of diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity – as their married counterparts.
Researchers added that although single women showed slightly higher levels of a biomarker signifying a greater risk of breathing problems, it was far lower than levels they found in unmarried men. The same was true of a biomarker for heart problems which was raised 14 per cent in single men but was barely noticeable in unmarried women.
“Not marrying or cohabiting is less detrimental among woman than men,” said Dr George Ploubidis, a population health scientist at the UCL Institute of Education in a statement to The Telegraph. “Being married appears to be more beneficial for men.”
Though previous researches have found that married men women are better off as far as health is concerned, the latest research is quite contrary. The latest research shows that people who experience separation, divorce and remarriage, have very similar levels of health in middle age to those who are married.
In case of divorces, previous researches have shown that men are affected a lot from divorce, but latest research suggests that in the long run, men tend to regain their pre-divorce health status.
The research also showed that getting divorced did not have a harmful impact on future health for either men or women as long as they found a new long-term partner. Women who divorced in mid to late 20s had 31 per cent lower odds of metabolic syndrome, compared with those who stayed married.
For their study, which is a first of its kind that investigates links between partnership status and health in middle age, researchers analysed information on more than 10,000 people born in England, Scotland and Wales in the same week of spring 1958.
