
The Facts about Women and Retirement
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The Facts about Women and Retirement
Here are the facts:
- According to the Department of Labor, a woman 65 years old can expect, on average, to live another 20 years, two years longer than a man.
- Close to 50% percent of first marriages, and an even higher percentage of second marriages, end in divorce.
- There are currently six million more women 65 and over than men, according to the Census Bureau.
- The Census Bureau reports that 48% of women 65 and older are widowed or divorced, compared to 26% of men.
- It’s been estimated that a single woman has at least a 75% chance of outliving her financial assets in retirement.
- Working women in their 40s and 50s expect to save an average of $200,000 for retirement, about half of what men their age expect to save, according to a financial survey.
- The poverty rate for all women 65 and older is 11%, but for single women it is about 19%.
- Single seniors are far more likely to live in poverty than married seniors.
- In the 65 and older age group, the Census Bureau reports that twice as many women as men live in households that receive food stamps.
- The Department of Labor reports that only about half of working women age 21 to 64 have ever participated in a retirement plan.
- Among full-time, year-round workers, women are paid an average (non-adjusted) of about 83% of what men are paid.
- More than 40% of older women rely on Social Security for most of their income.
- According to the Census Bureau, as of 2022, 11% of women age 65 or above lived below the poverty line, compared to 9% of men.