In a modern way of life, does marital status influence self-assessed health? Searching for potential disparities between men and women in the Netherlands

Abstract

This quantitative study aimed to investigate (1) the impact of marital status on individuals' self- assessed health in the Netherlands and (2) whether there are gender differences in this relationship. Additionally, the study explored the potential role of (3) educational attainment and (4) labour-force participation in explaining potential gender differences. Data, “ESS round 10 - 2020. Democracy, Digital social contacts”, from 1470 Dutch citizens collected through face-to- face interviews were analyzed using multiple regression. The findings indicate (1) that being married or in a registered partnership does not influence self-assessed health, and (2) there is no difference between men and women in terms of marital status and self-assessed health. Furthermore, (3) educational attainment and (4) labour-force participation cannot provide an indication of any explanation for the difference between men and women in the association between marital status and self-assessed health because no gender difference was discovered. However, after controlling for the impact of labour-force participation, the results show that marital status does have an impact on self-assessed health. Further research is suggested for understanding the impact of paid employment within this relationship.