Abstract:

Examines the economic circumstances of widowed women who were in the labor force at some time in their lives. Data from the Survey of Ageing & Independence are used to compare widows (N = 279,000) to the married, separated/divorced, & the ever single who retired (N = 377,000, 54,000, & 70,000, respectively); widows above & below Statistics Canada Low Income Cut-Off are also compared. Models predicting who falls below the Low Income Cut-Off are estimated for all women & for the widows. The findings indicate that 49% of the widows live below the Low Income Cut-Off. Factors associated with living below the poverty line include widowhood, a smaller household, lower levels of education, & an occupation at the bottom of the occupational hierarchy. Sources of income that would enhance the likelihood of being above the poverty line, eg, RRSPs (ie, combination of occupational pension & individual savings plans), investments & a job-related pension, are not common among these women despite their previous attachment to the labor force.