A new study co-authored by Yale sociologist Emma Zang reveals stark racial, ethnic, and sex disparities in the marital status and living arrangements of older adults in the United States.
Using a novel analytical method, Zang and her co-authors estimated the number of years past the age of 50 that people spend in different marital and living arrangements, and how the durations of these circumstances differ by race, ethnicity, and sex.
The researchers found that white older adults largely follow traditional patterns of stable marriage and spousal co-residence while Black older adults on average spend a longer time unmarried and living alone or with non-spousal family members. Hispanic older adults on average occupy a middle ground, maintaining marriages for a substantial number of years but also spending extended periods of time living in multi-generational households, according to the study.
