LIFE-CYCLE ASPECTS OF POVERTY AMONG OLDER WOMEN

This article focuses on the relationship between women's economic stat us earlier in their lives and their poverty status in old age. Previou s research on the determinants of poverty among aged women has documen ted the socioeconomic and demographic correlates of the poor, and has examined the financial impact of adverse later-life events such as wid owhood, deterioration of health, and loss of employment. Using data fr om the National Longitudinal Survey of Mature Women (NLSMW), we find t hat most women who experience these types of adverse events in their l ater years do not become poor and that a large majority of older NLSMW respondents who were poor in 1991-92 were poor earlier in their adult lives. Whether women are impoverished by adverse later-life events de pends on their economic resources just prior to the event. But, the fi nancial resources available in old age, in turn, depend very much on t heir long-term economic status throughout much of their adult lives. T his article underscores the fact that for most older women, these adve rse events do not appear to precipitate poverty spells-at least not wi thin the first couple of years-and directs attention at longer term ci rcumstances that make some women more vulnerable to poverty.