Danish researchers from the University of Copenhagen found that after the death of a partner, widowed women are more likely to change their place of residence than widowed men. Scientific work published in Housing Studies.
The researchers studied the residence records of Danes aged 50 to 90 over the past more than 25 years. As it turned out, after the death of a partner, 30% of widows move out of their home – this is more than 10% more than the number of widowers who change their place of residence. Interestingly, a significant proportion of the widows mentioned move to boarding schools and boarding houses (varieties of nursing homes).
Researchers believe that this imbalance is due to the less stable financial situation of widowed women, since men tend to have higher incomes and, therefore, more retirement savings.
In addition, a change in the place of residence of women may be associated with stronger social ties (colleagues, friends, relatives) compared to men. The scientists say moving to a retirement home can have a positive effect on a widowed person’s well-being, giving them the opportunity to “distract” and share their loss with others.
