A wife's level of education positively influences both her own and her husband's chances of having a long life, according to a new Swedish study.
In the study, researchers from the Swedish Institute for Social Research in Stockholm found that a woman's level of education had a stronger connection to the likelihood of her husband dying over education. What's more, they discovered that a husband's social class, based on his occupation, had a greater influence on his wife's longevity(长寿) than her own class.
"Women traditionally take more responsibility for the home than men do, and, as a result, women's levels of education might be more important for determining lifestyles－for example, in terms of food choices－than those of men," say Srs. Robert Erikson and Jenny Torssander of the Swedish Institute for Social Research in Stockholm.
The results show that a husband's level of education does not influence his longevity, but that men with partners who had quit studying after school were 25 per cent more likely to die early than men living with women holding university degrees. In turn, those married to women with university degrees were 13 percent more likely to die early than those whose wives had post-graduate qualifications.
According to the researchers, a woman with a good education may not marry a man who drinks and smokes too much or who drives carelessly, and men with such habits may not prefer highly educated woman. Drs. Erikson and Torssander also suggest that better-educated women may be more aware of what healthy eating and good health care consist of.
The findings suggest that education has a huge impact on how long and how well people live. It also reflects social factors, since educated individuals usually have better jobs, which allow them to afford healthier diets and lifestyles, as well as better health care.
