Nonmetropolitan Elderly Women: A Portrait of Economic Vulnerability

Abstract

Women are a majority of elders in America, and they face a greater risk of being poor. This article examines the poverty status of elders, paying special attention to the circumstances of elderly women in nonmetropolitan areas. The oldest women, minorities, divorced or separated women, and widows are particularly likely to be or become poor in old age in both metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. Nonmetropolitan women, however, report higher poverty rates and have lower incomes, placing them at greater risk offalling into poverty should unexpected events occur. By examining various levels and sources of income available to metropolitan and nonmetropolitan women the authors found that nonmetropolitan women have lower wage and salary income, receive less Social Security, and have lower total own income than do metropolitan women. It is suggested that higher poverty incidence among nonmetropolitan than among metropolitan women is linked to a legacy of poorer economic opportunities in nonmetropolitan areas as well as to the apparently greater costs for women of expenencing nontraditional life cycle patterns (e.g., divorce or separation) in nonmetropolitan areas.