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Elderly Women Forced to Postpone Retirement

Hundreds of thousands of women in their 60s have been left unable to retire because they lack sufficient fundsÑa number that could multiply as older divorced women continue to outnumber widows. Elderly divorced women are increasingly most at risk financially, more so than widows who receive their deceased husband’s social security and pension benefits. Retirement sources of income–such as social security and pensions–have been shown to proportionally favor male employees as women are penalized for leaving the workforce, resulting in lost social security benefits and smaller pensions. These biases, coupled with men earning more than women on average, has left elderly women with no other option than to work past retirement age.

Sources:

Joint Center for Poverty Research, Institute for Poverty Research, The New York Times

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