A break-up leaves women worse off financially but a new Australian study published Wednesday found that men are much lonelier and sadder, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
"Both men and women take a hit after separation," said David de Vaus, professor of sociology at the University of Queensland, and co-author of the study.
"Women are much poorer financially, men are much poorer socially."
The study, by researchers at the University of Queensland, the Australian Institute of Family Studies and the Australian National University, tracked people's progress over the course of a break-up.
According to the study, four years after a separation, men's income in real terms was 20 percent higher and was in line with income trends but a woman's income was on average two percent less.
However, men were more lonely. About 48 percent of men who had not found a new partner within a year after a separation reported feeling very lonely, compared with 39 percent of single women.
Four years after a separation this proportion fell to 29 percent of men, compared to 28 percent of women.
Men were also less likely to feel satisfied with their life in the year after their break-up, with only 29 percent satisfied, compared to 38 percent of women. This grew to 42 percent for men and 52 percent of women within three years.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox