KBIA: Why Elderly Women are More Likely to Live in Poverty

By Hope Kirwan, KBIA Feb 25, 2015

It’s generally known that women tend to live longer than men. But what’s less known is how the same longevity can be a  financial burden for women.

Last month, the Women’s Foundation of Greater Kansas City and the MU Institute of Public Policy released a report called Status of Women in Missouri. According to the report, women make up two-thirds of the Missourians aged 65 and older who are living in poverty.

“Their lives are much longer but then you couple that with the pay gap,” said Wendy Doyle, President and CEO of the Women's Foundation.

On a national level, women typically make 78 cents for every dollar made by a man. In Missouri, the gap is even larger, with the average woman earning 71 cents for every dollar earned by men.

Doyle said this income disparity is one of the main reasons women are more likely to fall into poverty later in life...  Read and LISTEN to full story here