Census: Senior women have higher poverty rate than men

Women over the age of 75 are more likely to live in poverty than men, according to a new United State Census Income and Poverty report released Sept. 16. In fact, 14.7 percent of women, nearly double that of men in this age group, are now living in poverty.

The nation's oldest women also experience higher poverty rates than women between the ages of 65 and 70. Talkpoverty.org attributes this problem to everyday misfortunes that anyone could experience, however they become magnified by age and economic vulnerability.

This year marks the 50th year anniversary for Medicare and Medicaid, and the Census report also found that these anti-poverty efforts can dramatically reduce senior poverty. There was a large decrease in poverty from 1965 to 1975 for Americans 65 years and older, which proved the promise of America's healthcare programs. 

Read the full report here.

Megan Combs

Megan Combs was Associate Editor of I Advance Senior Care / Long Term Living from 2013-2018.