The Poverty of Unattached Senior Women and the Canadian Retirement Income System: A Matter of Blame or Contradiction?

Authors

Amber Gazso, University of Alberta

Keywords

Poverty, unattached senior women, retirement income, policy discourse

Abstract

Structural and financial inadequacy of Canada's retirement income system, especially with respect to income support benefits (i.e. Old Age Security), are often identified as one major reason unattached senior women experience poverty. While it may be compelling to blame low benefit levels and changing eligibility requirements, particularly because 'crisis' policy discourses have influenced questionable restructuring over time (i.e. the clawback), this paper argues that this is too simplistic of an account of the relationship between these women's poverty and the retirement income system. Other broad social-structural factors are at play in women's lives that have the potential to disentitle their access to income security in old age. Specifically, the mismatch between women's economic situations over the life course and their claims to pension or retirement savings income is presented as an important reason for why many women are still poor despite policy provisions for their retirement.

Recommended Citation

Gazso, Amber (2005) "The Poverty of Unattached Senior Women and the Canadian Retirement Income System: A Matter of Blame or Contradiction?," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 32: Iss. 2, Article 4.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15453/0191-5096.3070
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol32/iss2/4