Older women remain at high risk of poverty

Published Apr 6th 2016

With more career interruptions, part time work and caring responsibilities than the average man, ageing women end up with an average pension income substantially lower than that of their male counterparts. That in turn creates a significantly higher risk of poverty. Systemic change needs to occur, most notably through the reduction of gender pay gaps and a change in the disparate expectations of responsibility for care, whether it be child care or elder care. Pension plans also need to be adjusted, to take into account the likelihood that a woman over the age of 65 will be living alone (40 per cent do, whereas only 19 per cent of elderly men live alone).

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