Time in Workforce 47% of women over 50 are single. Women's retirement income will be lessened because on average a woman is away from the work force 14.7 years as compared to 1.6 years for men. (Women are typically the primary caretaker of the home.)[1] | Effects of Divorce 50% of marriages end in divorce. Of course, the #1 thing couples fight about is...money. And in most cases the woman ends up with the kids. (So now she is solely financially responsible for herself and her children). In the first year after a divorce, a woman's standard of living drops 73%.[2] |
Earning Differential At age 65 or older, 95% of men and women have married at least once; however, at these older ages, three times as many women (41%) as men (13%) are widowed. Women, on average, earn 76% of what men earn, resulting in an average lifetime earnings differential of $250,000.[3] | Longer Life Expectancy Women live, on average, five to seven years longer than men (depending on when they were born). They also invest more conservatively than men. Over the long run, this can result in lower returns and more of a risk of their assets not keeping pace with inflation.[4] |