Abstract:
Comparisons of the economic position of single older women in various industrialized countries have shown substantial differences, especially regarding the proportion of widows, divorcees, and never-married women experiencing poverty. This review aims at a comparative assessment of existing studies that have examined these differences, focusing on six nations: France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. The review also encompasses relevant comparative benefit studies and probes into the institutional arrangements of old-age security schemes in each country that may explain higher or lower poverty rates for women aged 65 or over who are on their own.