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The Invisible Poor: Canada's Retired Widows*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2010

Lynn McDonald
Lynn McDonald
Affiliation:
University of Toronto
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Abstract

The purpose of this research is to examine what factors influence the economic circumstances of widowed women who were in the labour force at some time in their lives. Using the Survey of Ageing and Independence, widows are compared to the married, separated/divorced and the ever single who retired. Widows above and below Statistics Canada Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) are also compared. Models predicting who falls below the Low Income Cut-Off are estimated for all women and for the widows. The findings indicate that 49 per cent 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 and an occupation at the bottom of the occupational hierarchy. Sources of income that would enhance the likelihood of being above the poverty line, such as RRSPs, investments and a job-related pension, are not common amongst these women despite their previous attachment to the labour force.

Résumé

Cette recherche examine les facteurs qui influent sur les conditions économiques des veuves qui ont été sur le marché du travail au cours de leur vie. Dans le cadre de l'Enquête sur le vieillissement et l'autonomie, on compare les veuves aux femmes mariées, séparées/divorcées et même aux célibataires retraitées. On compare aussi les veuves qui sont au-dessus et au-dessous du seuil de faible revenu (SFR) selon Statistique Canada. On établit des modèles permettant de prévoir qui, des femmes et des veuves, se situera éventuellement sous le SFR. Les résultats indiquent que 49 pour cent des veuves vivent sous le SFR. Parmi les facteurs associés au fait de vivre sous le seuil de la pauvreté, on compte le veuvage, un plus petit ménage, un faible niveau d'éducation et une occupation au bas de la hiérarchie professionnelle. Les sources de revenus qui accroîtraient la possibilité d'être au-delà du seuil de la pauvreté, comme les R.E.É.R., les placements et une rente liée à un emploi, ne sont pas habituelles pour ces femmes, en dépit de leur appartenance antérieure au marché du travail.

Keywords

WidowRetiredPovertyLow Income Cut-OffVeuveretraitespauvretéseuil de faible revenu
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 16 , Issue 3 , Fall/Automne 1997 , pp. 553 - 583
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 1997

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