title: Estimation of duration of separation, widowhood, and family life cycle.
abstract: This is the second of two reports on a study of the durations related to marriage. Divorce and death of one's spouse, the main causes of dissolution of marriage, are two of the most important events in a person's life. In the United States in 1994, 30.7 million, or 16.2%, of the adult population were either divorced or widowed. Among the widowed, the female to male ratio was 5 to 1! In this paper duration of separation due to divorce and duration of widowhood are the main variables under study. Algebraic formulas are derived and computer programs are written for estimating these durations for husbands and wives, and for living couples of any age. Relations with the duration of marriage, the expectation of life, and the family life cycle are also presented.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, California, 94720, USA.
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Hardy
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Wun
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chiang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D004243:Divorce / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D008017:Life Expectancy; D015993:Life Tables; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009716:Numerical Analysis, Computer-Assisted; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012744:Sex Ratio; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D017805:Widowhood / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*