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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| The economic consequences of widowhood on elderly women in the United States and Germany | | Author(s) | Thomas L Hungerford |
| Journal title | The Gerontologist, vol 41, no 1, February 2001 |
| Pages | pp 103-110 |
| Keywords | Widows ; Economic status [elderly] ; Income [older people] ; Poverty ; Comparison ; Germany ; United States of America. |
| Annotation | Different countries have different goals for social welfare policy. Consequently, it is reasonable to expect different outcomes after certain events. This article examines changes in the economic well-being of older women at widowhood in the United States and Germany. Longitudinal data from the US Panel Study of Income Dynamics and the German Socioeconomic Panel were used to prepare a sample of older widows. Economic well-being the year before the husband's death was compared with economic well-being the year after the husband's death. Although the prevalence of poverty is different in the two countries, most widows in both countries experienced a decline in living standards and many actually fell into poverty at widowhood. A fall in social security and pension income was the largest contributor to the fall in living standards. The retirement income system in both countries seems to be adequate for married couples, but appears to fail for widows. (KJ/RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-010622209 A |
| Classmark | SP: F:W: JF: W6: 48: 767: 7T |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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