IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jfamec/v46y2025i2d10.1007_s10834-024-09995-3.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Widowhood and Mortality in India: Household Headship and Filial Expectations and Their Association with Mortality Among Older Widows

Author

Listed:
  • Babul Hossain

    (Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH))

  • Srinivas Goli

    (International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS))

  • K. S. James

    (Tulane University)

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between ‘household headship and filial expectations’ and ‘risk of mortality’ for widowed women aged 45 years and above in India. The study used the India Human Development Survey (IHDS), a nationally representative longitudinal survey. The results indicate no excess mortality risk for widows compared to married women, where widows or their sons were household heads. On the other hand, when the widows were in households headed by others (viz. brothers, sons-in-law, grandsons, and extended family members), widows had a heightened mortality risk compared to married women. Further, the analysis suggests that despite heading households if widows expected financial support from their sons, they had higher mortality than widows who did not expect financial support from their sons. The main results hold in multiple robustness checks. First, even after adjusting for the endogeneity between household headship and economic status using the instrument variable (IV) regression model, the results indicate that older widows in households headed by themselves had almost a 30% increased mortality risk compared to the rest of the widows. Second, the heterogeneity analysis suggests that household headship was linked with increased odds of mortality in widows if they were heading the household and did have financial expectations from their sons, particularly if they belonged to poor households and living in rural India. Given that the share of widows in the total older population is expected to rise considerably in the future, the findings assume importance for both policy and practice.

Suggested Citation

  • Babul Hossain & Srinivas Goli & K. S. James, 2025. "Widowhood and Mortality in India: Household Headship and Filial Expectations and Their Association with Mortality Among Older Widows," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 46(2), pages 444-459, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jfamec:v:46:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s10834-024-09995-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s10834-024-09995-3
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10834-024-09995-3
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10834-024-09995-3?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Smita Ramnarain, 2016. "Unpacking Widow Headship and Agency in Post-Conflict Nepal," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(1), pages 80-105, January.
    2. Swastika Chakravorty & Srinivas Goli & K. S. James, 2021. "Family Demography in India: Emerging Patterns and Its Challenges," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(2), pages 21582440211, April.
    3. Pilar Zueras & Roberta Rutigliano & Sergi Trias-Llimós, 2020. "Marital status, living arrangements, and mortality in middle and older age in Europe," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 65(5), pages 627-636, June.
    4. Srinivas Goli & Somya Arora & Neha Jain & Sekher T. V., 2024. "Patrilocality and Child Sex Ratios in India," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 43(4), pages 1-28, August.
    5. Espinosa, Javier & Evans, William N., 2008. "Heightened mortality after the death of a spouse: Marriage protection or marriage selection?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 27(5), pages 1326-1342, September.
    6. Li, Lydia & Liang, Jersey & Toler, Amanda & Gu, Shengzu, 2005. "Widowhood and depressive symptoms among older Chinese: Do gender and source of support make a difference?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 60(3), pages 637-647, February.
    7. Barik, Debasis & Desai, Sonalde & Vanneman, Reeve, 2018. "Economic Status and Adult Mortality in India: Is the Relationship Sensitive to Choice of Indicators?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 176-187.
    8. Subramanian, S.V. & Elwert, Felix & Christakis, Nicholas, 2008. "Widowhood and mortality among the elderly: The modifying role of neighborhood concentration of widowed individuals," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(4), pages 873-884, February.
    9. Streeter, Jialu L., 2020. "Gender differences in widowhood in the short-run and long-run: Financial, emotional, and mental wellbeing," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 17(C).
    10. Li, Lydia W. & Zhang, Jiaan & Liang, Jersey, 2009. "Health among the oldest-old in China: Which living arrangements make a difference?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(2), pages 220-227, January.
    11. Manoj K. Pandey & Abhay Kumar Jha, 2012. "Widowhood and health of elderly in India: examining the role of economic factors using structural equation modeling," International Review of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(1), pages 111-124, February.
    12. Filip Dabergott, 2022. "The gendered widowhood effect and social mortality gap," Population Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 76(2), pages 295-307, May.
    13. Sonalde Desai & Omkar Joshi, 2019. "The Paradox of Declining Female Work Participation in an Era of Economic Growth," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 62(1), pages 55-71, March.
    14. Peter Lloyd-Sherlock & Barbara Corso & Nadia Minicuci, 2015. "Widowhood, Socio-Economic Status, Health and Wellbeing in Low and Middle-Income Countries," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(10), pages 1374-1388, October.
    15. Zachary Zimmer & Julia Kwong, 2003. "Family size and support of older adults in urban and rural China: Current effects and future implications," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 40(1), pages 23-44, February.
    16. Esha Chatterjee & Reeve Vanneman & Sonalde Desai, 2018. "Indian paradox: Rising education, declining womens' employment," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 38(31), pages 855-878.
    17. Sibai, Abla M. & Yount, Kathryn M. & Fletcher, Astrid, 2007. "Marital status, intergenerational co-residence and cardiovascular and all-cause mortality among middle-aged and older men and women during wartime in Beirut: Gains and liabilities," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 64(1), pages 64-76, January.
    18. Peña-Longobardo, L.M. & Rodríguez-Sánchez, B. & Oliva-Moreno, J., 2021. "The impact of widowhood on wellbeing, health, and care use: A longitudinal analysis across Europe," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    19. Dreze, Jean & Srinivasan, P. V., 1997. "Widowhood and poverty in rural India: Some inferences from household survey data," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(2), pages 217-234, December.
    20. Rahman, Omar & Foster, Andrew & Menken, Jane, 1992. "Older widow mortality in rural Bangladesh," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 89-96, January.
    21. Sweta Gupta & Christopher Ksoll & Annemie Maertens, 2021. "Intra-household Efficiency in Extended Family Households: Evidence from Rural India," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 57(7), pages 1172-1197, July.
    22. Mostafa, Golam & van Ginneken, Jeroen K., 2000. "Trends in and determinants of mortality in the elderly population of Matlab, Bangladesh," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 50(6), pages 763-771, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Hossain, Babul & James, K.S., 2024. "Economics of widowhood mortality in adult women in India," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 340(C).
    2. Megan Reed, 2020. "The labor force participation of Indian women before and after widowhood," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 43(24), pages 673-706.
    3. Eran Shor & David Roelfs & Misty Curreli & Lynn Clemow & Matthew Burg & Joseph Schwartz, 2012. "Widowhood and Mortality: A Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 49(2), pages 575-606, May.
    4. Elena Bassoli & Peter Eibich & Emma Zai, 2025. "The mental health consequences of spousal bereavement," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2025-026, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    5. Duc Hong Vo & Chi Minh Ho & Anh The Vo, 2023. "The economic circumstances of widows in Vietnam," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 18(5), pages 1-20, May.
    6. Sibai, Abla M. & Yount, Kathryn M. & Fletcher, Astrid, 2007. "Marital status, intergenerational co-residence and cardiovascular and all-cause mortality among middle-aged and older men and women during wartime in Beirut: Gains and liabilities," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 64(1), pages 64-76, January.
    7. Manoj K. Pandey, 2013. "Elderly's Health Shocks and Household's Ex-ante Poverty in India," ASARC Working Papers 2013-01, The Australian National University, Australia South Asia Research Centre.
    8. World Bank, 2001. "Risk Management in South Asia : A Poverty Focused Approach," World Bank Publications - Reports 15449, The World Bank Group.
    9. Sutirtha Bandyopadhyay & Bipasha Maity, 2021. "Widowhood and Consumption of Private Assignable Goods: The Role of Socio-Economic Status, Rainfall Shocks and Historical Institutions," Working Papers 73, Ashoka University, Department of Economics.
    10. Felix Elwert & Nicholas Christakis, 2008. "Wives and ex-wives: A new test for homogamy bias in the widowhood effect," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 45(4), pages 851-873, November.
    11. Li, Qin & Smith, James P. & Zhao, Yaohui, 2023. "Understanding the effects of widowhood on health in China: Mechanisms and heterogeneity," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 25(C).
    12. Jain, Ritika & Chatterjee, Tirtha, 2024. "Information and communication technology and female employment in India," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    13. Maja Adena & Daniel Hamermesh & Michał Myck & Monika Oczkowska, 2023. "Home Alone: Widows’ Well-Being and Time," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 813-838, February.
    14. Sarmistha Pal & Robert Palacios, 2011. "Understanding Poverty among the Elderly in India: Implications for Social Pension Policy," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(7), pages 1017-1037.
    15. Swati Srivastava & Kaushalendra Kumar & Lotus McDougal & Ashish Kumar Upadhyay & Katherine Hay & Abhishek Singh, 2025. "Mapping women’s work in India: An application of small area estimation," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 20(2), pages 1-40, February.
    16. Cheng, Cheng, 2017. "Anticipated support from children and later-life health in the United States and China," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 201-209.
    17. Freda Yanrong Wang, 2022. "Causal Inference Between the Health Status and Living Arrangements of Elderly People in China," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 159(3), pages 1155-1178, February.
    18. Rajesh Gupta & Vaibhav Bhamoriya, 2021. "‘Give Me Some Rail’: An Enquiry into Puzzle of Declining Female Labour Force Participation Rate," Management and Labour Studies, XLRI Jamshedpur, School of Business Management & Human Resources, vol. 46(1), pages 7-23, February.
    19. Chhavi Tiwari & Srinivas Goli & Anu Rammohan, 2022. "Reproductive Burden and Its Impact on Female Labor Market Outcomes in India: Evidence from Longitudinal Analyses," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(6), pages 2493-2529, December.
    20. Shiba Shankar Pattayat & Jajati Keshari Parida & Kirtti Ranjan Paltasingh, 2023. "Gender Wage Gap among Rural Non-farm Sector Employees in India: Evidence from Nationally Representative Survey," Review of Development and Change, , vol. 28(1), pages 22-44, June.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:jfamec:v:46:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s10834-024-09995-3. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.