Racial Disparities in Income Security for a Cohort of Aging American Women

In this analysis we examine how women's family and employment choices are linked to differences in financial security as they age. Previous research has tested theories of growing inequality, decreasing inequality, or maintained inequality as cohorts transition into old age. We assess these hyp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social forces 2002-06, Vol.80 (4), p.1283-1306
Main Authors: Willson, Andrea E., Hardy, Melissa A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
African American women
African Americans
Age
Aged
Aging
Black people
Civil Rights Legislation
Classes, stratification, mobility
Demographic aspects
Divorce
Economic aspects
Economic Status
Elderly
Elderly Women
Employed Women
Employment
Family (Sociological Unit)
Females
Financial securities
Gender Differences
Income
Income distribution
Income inequalities
Income Inequality
Inequality
Labor Force Nonparticipants
Labor Force Participation
Labour force participation
Males
Marital Status
Marriage
Medical Services
Minority Groups
Neighborhood
Old age
Older Adults
Older people
Personal income
Poor
Poor people
Poverty
Pregnancy
Race
Racial Differences
Retirement Benefits
Salary Wage Differentials
Security
Social organization. Social system. Social structure
Sociology
Spouses
Stereotypes
Trajectories
Transfer Programs
U.S.A
USA
White people
Whites
Women
Women workers
Workforce
Working women
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Description
Summary:In this analysis we examine how women's family and employment choices are linked to differences in financial security as they age. Previous research has tested theories of growing inequality, decreasing inequality, or maintained inequality as cohorts transition into old age. We assess these hypotheses for older women and emphasize the heterogeneity in women's experiences, particularly differences in income security among women by race. Our findings indicate that, although marriage offers women considerable financial protection, their own employment was also a key to their security and reduced the rate at which income security decayed as they entered old age. This increased the variation in outcomes relative to initial positions. Whereas marriage provided more security for white women, employment gave a greater boost to black women.
ISSN:0037-7732
1534-7605
DOI:10.1353/sof.2002.0036