ABSTRACT
A number of researchers have argued that there has been a "feminization of poverty" among the elderly, a phrase coined in the late 1970s in reference to those societal processes through which poverty is concentrated among younger women and children. This chapter demonstrates that poverty among the elderly also is concentrated among women. It describes the current gender gap in poverty and highlights the importance of marital status and living arrangements in differentiating the economic status of men and women. The chapter discusses the key reasons for this gender gap including a history of female dependency reflected in current employment and retirement policies. The gender division of labor in which women assume the primary role of care-giver, and labor market discrimination limit women's access to financial resources in their pre- and postretirement years. The chapter also discusses current and proposed policy initiatives designed to eliminate gender inequities which contribute to poverty among elderly females.
