Women in our aging society: golden years or increased dependency?

• Author: Taeuber, Cynthia M.

As American women grow older, their future may be precarious as budget squeezes force cuts in social services.

The U.S. is in the midst of a demographic revolution that already has penetrating effects on the nation, families, and individuals. That revolution is the aging of the population, with a significantly higher proportion of Americans in the older age groups.

America!s growing elderly population has varying levels of abilities, needs, and resources. Diversity and growth are two terms that describe it. The population aged 65 years and over commonly is grouped together under the label "the elderly," yet this is a heterogeneous population. Elderly women tend to have life circumstances quite different from elderly men. Some older people, especially single women, have significant financial and health problems and are most likely to be poor. Others, especially men and married couples, generally are more secure.

The implications of greater numbers of people 85 years and older affect women, young and old. Most care of the frail elderly is provided by females and is received by oldest women.

The lives of young women will affect their prospects in older age. Women of the baby boom generation have much higher levels of education than their mothers and grandmothers. Young women in the labor force are employed in occupations covered by Social Security and are more likely to have private pensions than is true of their mothers. Other considerations that greatly impact on women as they age include increases in divorce, the likelihood of never marrying, and single motherhood, as well as behaviors that affect health such as smoking.

For women in an aging society, their own health is not the only issue. The health of others and provisions made for care of the frail elderly affects quality of daily lives and women's choices and movements.

How these factors evolve among the elderly in the future greatly could modify the lives of women, especially those in their 50s and 60s, the age group most likely to have very old, frail relatives. Changes in women's participation in the labor force, for instance, could affect their ability to provide unpaid care. As a society and for women, the economic and psychological costs of providing this care is an issue. A nettlesome question is what young women need to do to prepare for their own old age and what kind of care they eventually will have.

In 1900, one in 25 Americans was elderly. In 1990, the proportion was one in eight. By 2030, it is likely to be one in five. Four-generation families will be common. In 1993, about 60% of America's nearly 33,000,000 elderly are women.

Changes in age composition can have dramatic political, economic, and social effects on a nation. In the past, declines in the number of births have been the most important contributor to the long-term aging trend. Now, however, the improved chance of survival to the oldest ages, especially for females, is the most significant factor in the growth of the very old population.

Because of relatively low birth rates from the 1920s through World War II...