Older women and poverty

The popular perception of the financially secure economic status of elders, referred to as the "greening of the aged," does not reflect the reality faced by many older women. Older women's economic positions depend largely on marital status. Women who are widowed and other women living alone are among the most poor. Cuts in Social Security benefits, viewed by some policymakers as a possible solution to the problem of the federal budget deficit, would exacerbate the poverty of older women who rely on Social Security as their main source of income. Social workers concerned with poverty among older women must ensure that older women's interests are not sacrificed to resolve the federal deficit.