Individual and Societal Consequences of Widowhood, in Light of the Covid-19 Pandemic

Workshop on the individual and societal consequences of widowhood, especially in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite spousal loss being one of the most devastating events in the lives of men and women, research on the consequences of bereavement is limited in the social sciences.
This workshop will highlight new findings and perspectives as well as pave the path for new research on how widowhood affects the wellbeing of bereaved spouses.

Confirmed participants and contributors:

• Zachary Van Winkle and Angela Greulich, Sciences Po
• Nicole Kapelle and Jose-Manuel Aburto, University of Oxford
• Carole Bonnet, Julie Tréguier and Léa Cimelli, INED
• Aart Jan Riekhoff, Finnish Centre for Pensions
• Patrick Präg, ENSAE
• Thomas Leopold, University of Cologne.

This workshop takes place within the remit of the WIDOW19 project funded by the ANR Résilience Covid-19 programme.

The Covid-19 pandemic has left, and continues to leave, numerous men and women prematurely and unexpectedly widowed. Surviving spouses must not only cope with the psychological consequences of bereavement, but also deal with greater economic hardship following partner loss. Especially younger widows and widowers had less time on the labor market to finish financial preparations for old age and discuss post-bereavement financial planning.
The overarching aim of this project is to assess the consequences of increased rates of premature and unexpected widowhood due to the covid-19 pandemic in terms of individual economic wellbeing and societal economic costs.

Project members from six French and European universities and research institutes will collaborate to not only fill several gaps in social scientific knowledge on widowhood, but also provide French and European policy makers with evidence-based policy suggestions to counter and mitigate the individual and societal consequences of widowhood in the short and long-term following the pandemic.

Download here the Preliminary Schedule

See detailed programme and register

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