FLYING SOLO AT MIDLIFE - GENDER, MARITAL-STATUS, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING

This study examines gender and marital status differences in psycholog ical well-being across an extensive array of measures using data from a sample of non-Hispanic, White, midlife adult participants in the Wis consin Longitudinal Study, 1992-1993 (N = 6,876). Evidence for how sel ection and social causation might account for differences also is eval uated. Multivariate analyses reveal several gender interactions, usual ly indicating a greater disadvantage for unmarried men than for unmarr ied women. Separate analyses by gender show a complex picture of both positive and negative effects of being single. Contrary to what the se lection argument hypothesizes, single women have higher scores on rela tively enduring personality characteristics associated with better psy chological well-being than married women. Single men do not compare so favorably with married men. Overall, selection does not account for m arital status differences in well-being. Household income and having a kin confidant mediate some of the remaining effects.