A SOCIALIST-FEMINIST PERSPECTIVE ON WIDOWHOOD

Becoming widowed is a life transition that many older adults experience. Thus, gerontologists have been interested in studying the effects of bereavement on widowed persons' well-being, their methods of coping with such loss, and factors that contribute to or interfere with adjustment to widowhood. The purpose of this article is to apply a socialist-feminist perspective to these concerns. The article focuses on two topics: economic consequences of widowhood, which are analyzed with reference to the research literature, and issues related to self-sufficiency, which are illustrated with data from a local study.