CORRELATES OF THE ECONOMIC-STATUS OF WIDOWED AND DIVORCED ELDERLY WOMEN

Past studies of the economic status of widowed and divorced elderly women have focused mostly on the timing, incidence, and duration of their poverty but have neglected the analysis of the correlates of their economic status. The ordinary least squares regression analysis in this article shows that their economic status is commonly associated with such factors as the level of education, work history, and the Social Security primary insurance amount. The article also analyzes the differences between widows and divorcees and between those with substantial work histories and those with less substantial work histories.