Lewis M I
Department of Community Medicine, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, New York City, USA.
J Am Med Womens Assoc (1972). 1997 Summer;52(3):107-12.
This literature review examines the economic status of American women age 65 and older in view of their longevity, employment patterns, sources of income, income levels, potential for poverty, and their economic stake in current public policy debates and actions regarding Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and SSI. Although women live longer and therefore must stretch their financial resources further than men, longevity is not the sole cause of their economic vulnerability. Rather, it is associated with historical patterns of economic dependence on men; with sporadic, often low-wage or nonexistent employment histories; and with public policies and programs that place undue financial pressures on older women. Living alone is a major risk factor for poverty, and women of color are doubly at risk, with the highest poverty rates of all the elderly. Middle-class women face the possibility of "cycling into poverty" after widowhood, especially if their husbands suffered long, costly illnesses or spousal pensions shrink or disappear. While women's improving educational and work opportunities are likely to result in improved financial circumstances for future generations of older women, it will be necessary to move beyond their personal efforts to the public policy arena for solutions to the often devastating effects of uninsured health care costs, pension inequities, and other pressing economic concerns for older women.
本文献综述考察了65岁及以上美国女性的经济状况，涉及她们的长寿情况、就业模式、收入来源、收入水平、贫困可能性，以及她们在当前有关社会保障、医疗保险、医疗补助和补充保障收入的公共政策辩论及行动中的经济利益。尽管女性寿命更长，因此在财务资源上比男性需要支撑更长时间，但长寿并非她们经济脆弱性的唯一原因。相反，这与历史上对男性的经济依赖模式、断断续续且往往是低薪或无薪的就业经历，以及给老年女性带来过度财务压力的公共政策和项目有关。独居是贫困的一个主要风险因素，有色人种女性面临双重风险，是所有老年人中贫困率最高的群体。中产阶级女性在丧偶后面临“陷入贫困”的可能性，尤其是如果她们的丈夫长期患病且费用高昂，或者配偶养老金缩水或消失。虽然女性教育和工作机会的改善可能会使未来几代老年女性的经济状况得到改善，但有必要超越个人努力，进入公共政策领域，以解决未参保医疗费用、养老金不公平以及老年女性其他紧迫经济问题带来的往往具有毁灭性的影响。
