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Widowhood and Remarriage Trends in Canada 1956 to 1981

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2010

Herbert C. Northcott
Affiliation:
University of Alberta

Abstract

This paper first examines the prevalence of widowhood in Canada from 1956 to 1981. Second, data are presented concerning the probability of remarriage following widowhood and the length of time a person can expect to stay in the widowed state until either remarriage or death. The data indicate that the female is far more likely to be widowed than the male, that the widow is much less likely to remarry than is the widower, and that the widow on the average spends more time in the widowed state than does the widower. Finally, the data show that the number of widows for each widower has increased substantially during the 1956–1981 period.

Résumé

Dans la présente communication, nous examinons la fréquence des cas de veuvage au Canada entre 1956 et 1981 ainsi que la probabilité d'un remariage ainsi que la durée du veuvage jusqu'au remariage ou au décès du sujet. Les données indiquent que la probabilité du veuvage est beaucoup plus élevée chez les femmes que chez les hommes, que la probabilité d'un remariage est beaucoup plus faible chez elles que chez les veufs, et que la durée du veuvage est en moyenne plus longue chez les femmes que chez les hommes. Enfin, les données indiquent que le nombre des veuves par rapport au nombre de veufs a augmenté sensiblement entre 1956 et 1981.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 1984

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