Would you cry if I died? Gender differences in the effects of spousal loss on life satisfaction in Colombia

This study examines the masculinity gender norm “boys do not cry", implying that men are expected to suppress or conceal emotions related to sadness, depression, or grief. The objective is to investigate how this gender norm affects reported life satisfaction as a response of spousal loss, one of the most traumatic events in people’s lives. To this end, we study the Colombian case, which exhibits a notable bias in the Gender Social Norms Index, using the 2022 Quality of Life Survey and identifying individuals who experienced a recent spousal loss as those most directly exposed to the gender norm.