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Financial debt amongst older women in the United Kingdom – shame, abuse and resilience

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2020

Kingsley Purdam Open the ORCID record for Kingsley Purdam [Opens in a new window]  and
Jennifer Prattley
Kingsley Purdam*
Affiliation:
School of Social Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
Jennifer Prattley
Affiliation:
School of Social Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
*
*Corresponding author. Email: kingsley.purdam@manchester.ac.uk
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Abstract

Long-term poverty, precarious employment, low pay, the increased pension age and real-term reductions in welfare benefits, including bereavement allowances, have brought into focus the financial vulnerability of many older women aged 55 years and older in the United Kingdom. In this article, survey data were analysed alongside evidence from observations of debt support meetings and interviews with older women who were receiving debt advice from a support charity. The findings suggest that older women were more likely to have financial problems than older men, particularly those women who were living on low incomes and who were separated or divorced. Following the breakdown of a relationship, many older women were at increased risk of more debt and bankruptcy, particularly those aged between 55 and 64 years and those in routine and semi-routine occupations. Many women had kept their financial problems hidden due to fear and shame whilst bringing up their children and some had been subject to coercive control and economic abuse by their former husbands or partners. It is important that any pension reforms, changes to minimum wage rates, and new divorce and domestic abuse legislation and welfare policies take account of the circumstances of separated, divorced and widowed older women. More financial support and advice needs to be provided to older women facing financial difficulties.

Keywords

abusecoercive controldebtfinancesolder ageprecarious employmentsecrecyshame
Type
Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 41 , Issue 8 , August 2021 , pp. 1810 - 1832
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press.

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