Late-Life Hardship at the Intersection of Age and Gender

Late-life material hardship captures older adults' inability to afford necessities. Using data from the Understanding America Study, this study shows that while older women experienced higher levels of hardship than older men, the prevalence of hardship decreased as age increased. Older women had more hardship at an earlier age (65–69), highlighting the intersectional disadvantage experienced by older women. The chance of any hardship for older women was higher than that for older men in 2021–2022, concurring with recent rises in inflation and cost-of-living. Policies and interventions to alleviate deprivation should pay greater attention to older women's disproportionate experience of material hardship.