Til Death Do Us Part Married people live longer than unmarried people, and this is true of both men and women. But while widowed men die as young as never-married and divorced men do (a), widowed women live longer than never-married or divorced women do (b). In other words, the loss of a wife is always bad, but the loss of a husband is only bad if you let him live! (Lillard & Waite, 1995)