Old Age Poverty: Single Women & Widows

Teresa GhilarducciMartha Susana JaimesAnthony Webb
Written By SCEPA

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The rates of elder poverty among widows and single women are higher than among couples and men.

Poverty among single women reflects low lifetime earnings and spotty pension coverage, whereas poverty among widows results from the exhaustion of financial resources. In both cases, women will benefit from the creation of Guaranteed Retirement Accounts (GRAs), a source of independent retirement income lasting a lifetime. 

SCEPA
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