TY - JOUR T1 - Marital Biography, Social Security Receipt, and Poverty. JF - Research on Aging Y1 - 2017 A1 - Lin, I-Fen A1 - Susan L. Brown A1 - Anna M Hammersmith KW - Gender Differences KW - Marriage KW - Older Adults KW - Poverty KW - Social Security AB -

Increasingly, older adults are unmarried, which could mean a larger share is at risk of economic disadvantage. Using data from the 2010 Health and Retirement Study, we chart the diverse range of marital biographies, capturing marital sequences and timing, of adults who are age eligible for Social Security and examine three indicators of economic well-being: Social Security receipt, Social Security benefit levels, and poverty status. Partnereds are disproportionately likely to receive Social Security and they enjoy relatively high Social Security benefits and very low poverty levels. Among singles, economic well-being varies by marital biography and gender. Gray divorced and never-married women face considerable economic insecurity. Their Social Security benefits are relatively low, and their poverty rates are quite high (over 25%), indicating Social Security alone is not sufficient to prevent these women from falling into poverty. By comparison, gray widoweds are the most advantaged singles.

VL - 39 IS - 1 ER -