Study: Women Are Happier Than Men in Old Age
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London — Women enjoy life more than men in old age, a British study claimed yesterday.
Researchers questioned almost 9,800 people over the age of 50 about their lives and found that women were more optimistic.
Wealth also appeared to help people live longer, researchers at University College London discovered.
One the authors of the report, Dr. Elizabeth Breeze, said that women could become happier as they grow older as they no longer have to worry about looking after their families.
She said, “There is a difference between the way men and women view their quality of life and they are influenced by slightly different things.
“Women are affected negatively by caring for someone else or if they are not in employment, but if they see their children and family more they are positively affected.”
Researchers interviewed people born before 1952 at two-year intervals.
They found that the poorest fifth of the population was more than twice as likely to have died by 2008 as those in the wealthiest fifth.
In some age groups, the difference was even greater with the poorest women between 60 and 74 six times more likely to have died than the richest women of the same age.
According to the study, people have more chance of living longer if they are married, educated to degree level, and a professional.
