Abstract:

This paper studies the respective gender longvity gap in favour of women among singles, utilitarian and altruistic couples. The following hypotheses are derived: (1) the gender longevity gap is smaller within couples than among singles; (2) marriage increases longevity of men but decreases longevity of women; and (3) the gender longevity gap decreases with an increase in wealth. The hypotheses are tested using a complete date set of the Swiss decreased at the age 65+ in 2001 and 2002, with information on the individuals' age at death and their average earnings over the life cycle.