Elderly widowhood in rapidly ageing China

With the acceleration of population ageing in China, a large elderly widowed group is emerging. This article analyses the proportion of elderly widowhood amongst the Chinese elderly population by using the census data for 1990 and 2000 and measures the widowhood index amongst the elderly population on the basis of China’s life tables. The study has found that the probability of elderly male widowhood is 0.35, and the figure for elderly female widowhood is 0.65. An average marriage lasts 43.45 years. After being widowed, men live for another 11.60 more years, whilst women another 15.57 years. The age difference between husband and wife has a relatively big impact on the widowhood index. The index is also markedly different between cities and rural areas. Although the life expectancy amongst the rural population is relatively low, they also have the shortest married life and the youngest widowhood age. However, they tend to live more years after they are widowed. The findings in this article can provide references for policy making for the elderly.