The Gray Gender Gap: Older Women Are Likelier to Go It Alone

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/11/health/marital-status-elderly-health.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fhealth&action=click&contentCollection=health&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront

Every few years, a group of federal agencies publishes a series of data on every factor affecting older people. There are few reasons that interpret why older women are likelier to go it alone. On report said, at every age, older men are far more likely to be married than older women. Also, women tend to live longer and to marry men older than themselves, so they are more likely to be widowed. A host of other sociocultural changes, such as the stigma about divorce to women in the work force, could also be an effect. Last, race and ethnicity also play significant roles. Older African-Americans and Hispanics are more likely to face financial burdens despite of marital status.