Women and family in the later years: findings from the 1990 general social survey

Aging is a feminist issue. Women on average live longer than men, live longer in disability or with chronic health problems, more often experience the deaths of spouse and friends, more often live alone in their later years, are significantly poorer than men of the same age, and more often institutionalized. Yet the feminist challenges of aging, both individually and collectively, have yet to be fully explored. Despite growing attention to aging in research and social policy, much more needs to be known about women's experiences with aging.