ABSTRACT
This chapter utilizes panel data for the United States, Britain and Western Germany to map changes in income level, distribution, and sources as women are widowed in these three countries. It examines how social security systems in three countries treat survivors and what difference this makes to changes in income as women move from marriage to widowhood. The chapter reviews findings about the relative well-being of widows and married women. It discusses the measurement issues in comparing the well-being of widows to that of their married peers and looks at mean income changes, measures of income inequality, and changes in income sources. In the United States the greater importance of private income sources and the more unequal distribution of private benefits explain the larger decline in economic well-being for United States widows. The chapter explores the influence of the different survivor provisions in three countries on levels and changes in well-being.
