The vulnerable life course
Poverty and social assistance among middle-aged and older women
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11201079 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Evy Gunnarsson (Stockholm University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2002 |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 709-728 |
| Publication date | 2002-11-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Ageing and Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0144-686X • E-ISSN: 1469-1779 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0144686x02008978 |
| OpenAlex | W2024854725 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 13 |
| References cited | 4 |
In Europe, older women are more likely than older men to be living in poverty, and the contrast is directly related to their domestic roles and labour market position during earlier phases of their life courses. Despite Sweden's well-developed social security system, the generalisation applies to its older women. This paper examines the current incomes and life courses of 14 middle-aged and older Swedish women who have periodically had to rely on social assistance. Their circumstances and living conditions are considered in relation to their earlier lives and to the contextual conditions of the country's welfare state. Both life course and feminist perspectives are applied. All the interviewed women had been the main carers of their children, and had worked part-time or in low-paid jobs. Their formal employment histories have been the foundation of their vulnerable economic situation in older age, which the Swedish social security system does little to combat. Unless the bases and assumptions of the social security model are changed, there will continue to be many older women who live a life of poverty or near poverty
Economic growth · Economics · Life course approach · Older people · Political science · Politics · Position (finance) · Poverty · Social security · Social Welfare · Sociology · Welfare · Welfare state · Medicine · Psychology · Social Policy and Reform Studies · Social Psychology · Work-Family Balance Challenges · Youth Education and Societal Dynamics · Gerontology
A framework for understanding old-age vulnerabilities
Taking a life Course Perspective on Social Assistance use in Canada
Parcours de vie des personnes âgées à faibles revenus
Do older women or older men report worse health? Questioning the ‘sicker’ older women assumption through a period and cohort analysis
Women making sense of midlife
“Finally, Me Time!”
Grandparenthood
Sequins, Sass, and Sisterhood
Gender and Ageing
Long‐Term Disadvantage among Elderly Women
Gender differences in the mechanism of involuntary retirement affecting loneliness through vulnerability and coping resources
Exploring underexposed stories
The Intersection of Age and Gender
| Citations per year | 0.62 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2005 - 2024 (20) |
| Highly cited | No |