Justice
In the U.S., Fewer Older Women Are Living Alone
Shifts in life expectancies and social norms are reversing a 20th century trend.
The aging widow, alone in her home, has been a cultural trope for centuries. But such women are becoming less common in the U.S., as social expectations, economic realities and life expectancies shift.
A new Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data finds that the share of older adults (ages 65 and up) living alone is falling. The change has been most dramatic among women aged 65 to 84: 30 percent lived alone in 2014, compared to 38 percent in 1990. The share of older men living alone has actually increased slightly: In 2014, 18 percent lived alone, up from 15 percent in 1990.