In the mid-1990s, the poverty rate for widows ages 65-85 was 20 percent. Since then, it has dropped sharply.
According to a report by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, this is due to the rise in women’s educational attainment. Also, the rise in women’s work experience and shifting marriage patterns, with women of higher socioeconomic status (SES) now more likely to be married than their lower-SES counterparts.
To read the full report, click here.
