Elderly women living alone: an update of their living conditions
The European Parliament released a report on elderly women living alone, as today, with the extension of life expectancy, many elderly woman end up living alone. It is necessary that European societies find a way to support these women.
Women represent the majority of the people living alone as their life expectancy is longer than the one of men. This situation is a challenge for Europe as it questions the sustainability of retirement pensions and the tools to provide support for these people. The European Parliament published a report in order to evaluate the cost of the phenomenon and to propose reflections on the problems led by ageing women.
The report shows that inequality of pay during the carrier has direct consequences on women's pensions when they retire. In this way, ageing women are more exposed to precarity. The European Parliament recommands to the member states to regulate gender inequalities regarding the payment of pensions. The report also offers other suggestions, notably the reinforcement intergenerational solidarity and by putting ageing policies taking into account gender.