Living Alone at Midlife in Canada: Differences by Gender, Marital Status, and Union Trajectories

As part of a research program that examines family and life course factors that increase the vulnerability and resilience of individuals, this study focuses on unattached men and women at mid-life aged 45 to 64. Using the Censuses, we examine the trends in men and women living alone, and their poverty level since 1991. With data from the 2006 General Social Survey, we then examine the economic and social well-being at mid-life and the differentials by gender, marital status and union trajectories. Salient differences include: while the proportions of separated and divorced men and women are almost equal, women are more likely to be widowed and men are more likely to have never married; both the separated men and women are the least likely to be satisfied with life; in contrast, widows are more satisfied with life than widowers, possibly because widows report more relatives they could turn to; separated and divorced men are more likely to be in a better financial position, whereas never married women are more likely to be so than their separated and divorced counterparts.