Wdowieństwo a sytuacja materialna kobiet w starszym wieku w Polsce

Widowhood of older women in Poland is an important research topic, especially for two reasons. First, widowed women constitute a relatively large subpopulation in the country. Second, the research conducted in other European countries showed that widowhood is related to a higher risk of poverty among women in older age groups. In the paper, I analyze the material situation of older widows in Poland and determine what factors are related to a higher risk of financial problems among them. In particular, I investigate a role of survivor’s pension for women’s material situation. I use data from the first wave of the Generations and Gender Survey, conducted in Poland (GGS-PL). The sample consists of widowed and married women aged 60–79, living in Poland. I apply the logistic regression analyses and use different measures of financial hardship. Regardless of which measure is used, the results showed that in comparison to marriage, widowhood is related to a higher risk of material deprivation among older women. Survivor’s pension does not mitigate this risk completely, but it is related to a significantly lower risk of a severe material deprivation.