Gender differences in old-age poverty in 14 EU countries: exploring the role of household structure

Abstract

The risk of poverty among older people varies widely across countries and between men and women. This is usually explained by reference to institutional differences in pension systems or differences in employment histories. However, many other factors also come into play. In this paper we argue that, to avoid biased conclusions, it is necessary to take into account the role of household structure. This study of 14 European Union (EU) countries investigates the impact of household structure on gender differences in old-age poverty risk. The empirical examination is based on European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC). The findings show that older women’s high poverty risk is strongly related to the financial vulnerability of single-person households and the higher prevalence of female than male single-person households. In addition, gender differences in poverty risk can be attributed to gender differences in household structure. It matters whether the older person lives with another older person or an employed/unemployed person and whether there are minor children in the household. Country differences in the gender poverty gap are linked to country differences in the household age structure and the poverty risks of different types of households.