Relationships and Health 407two-thirds of those who file for divorce are
women (Brinig & Allen, 2000). In some ways,
this is not a surprise as women are less satis-
fied than men with marriage. Because women
are less satisfied with marriage, women also
might be more aware of problems in the re-
lationship than men, which would lead them
to be better prepared for the relationship to
end. In the study of dating couples shown in
Figure 11.6, women reported that they had
thought about and talked about the possi-
bility of a breakup more than men, regard-
less of who ultimately initiated it (Helgeson,
1994a). Men thought about and talked about
the possibility of a breakup only when they
ended up initiating it. Thus women may
have been more psychologically prepared for
the breakup than men. These findings are
consistent with a study of distressed couples
seeking marital therapy that showed women
were more aware of problems in the relation-
ship than men (Doss, Atkins, & Christensen,
2003). In that study, both men and women
agreed that women were the first to recog-
nize that there was a problem in the relation-
ship, the first to consider seeking help, and
the first to initiate treatment. Thus women
may adjust better than men to the dissolu-
tion of a relationship because they are more
aware of relationship problems and the po-
tential for the relationship to end.TAKE HOME POINTS
■ It is not clear whether relationship dissolution has stron-
ger adverse effects on women or men. Inconsistencies
in effects may have to do with the phase of the dis-
solution evaluated, the presence of children, and the
socioeconomic status of the couple.
■ In traditional couples, men and women face differ-
ent strains following separation and divorce—men’s
strains have to do with having to care for the house andIn egalitarian marriages, women are less likely
to depend on their spouses for financial sup-
port and men are less likely to depend on their
spouses to take care of the house and to be the
sole source of emotional support. Research
has yet to investigate this possibility.
The strain explanation for the negative
health effects of separation and divorce is most
appealing when studies emerge that show
there are greater differences in health between
married people and divorced/separated
people than married people and unmarried
people (Whisman et al., 2006). To the extent
that this is the case, the health benefits of mar-
riage have less to do with the benefits of mar-
riage per se, but more to do with the strains
associated with the breakup of a relationship.
If the health advantage of marriage was due to
marriage per se, married people should have
better health than all other groups.Social Selection. The social selection hy-
pothesis could also explain why those who
separate and divorce have worse health than
those who remain married. Perhaps, poor
health precedes rather than follows relation-
ship dissolution. Two studies support this
possibility. A nine-year longitudinal study
of adults in England showed that separa-
tion and divorce were associated with poor
mental health but also that poor mental
health was associated with marital dissolu-
tion (Wade & Pevalin, 2004). A longitudinal
study of twins found that those whose mar-
riages dissolved had poorer health prior to
the breakup compared to those whose mar-
riages remained in tact (Osler et al., 2008).Women Initiate Breakup. One reason
the health costs of relationship dissolution
could be stronger for men than women is
that women are more likely than men to ini-
tiate the breakup of a relationship. AboutM11_HELG0185_04_SE_C11.indd 407 6/21/11 12:43 PM