Abstract:

An analysis of recent data on the living standards of elderly people in Great Britain, specifically those living in poverty. Summarized information is provided about a wide range of benefits & services for this population. Questions are raised concerning the various social policies & processes that have contributed to the creation of poverty & dependency in old age. The growing importance of retirement is addressed as a significant factor contributing to the depressed social status of the elderly, & as part of the general tendency in British society to devalue the worth of elderly people. This social relationship between age & the labor market deserves attention from policymakers, who have tended to concentrate on the consequences rather than the causes of dependency.