questions about the equity of the benefit eligibility age and of the life expectancy figures which underly the actuarial determination of the level of benefits. This area needs further analysis, data gathering, and research. 5. Income of Widows As has been repeatedly pointed out, a majority of older women are widows. The growing difference in death rates between males and females promises an even greater preponderance of older women in the future. Today, there are about 130 older women per 100 older men; by the end of the century, the ratio will be at least 150 to 100. And these widows are at the bottom of the income scale. Close to 60% of the older women living alone or with nonrelatives live in poverty (2.1 million out of 3.6 million in 1966) and another 10% are on the border line. Among nonwhite older women, 85% live in poverty, with another 5% on the border. Comparisons of life expectancies provide startlingly dramatic forecasts of the dimensions and impacts of this problem. Beginning at middle age, a wife whose husband is five years younger than she is (an unusual situation in our culture), has a 50% chance (1 chance out of each 2 such couples) of eventually becoming a widow. If the wife is the same age as her husband, her chances of ending up as a widow increases to 2 out of 3. If she is five years younger than her husband, her widowhood prospects increase to 3 out of 4 cases. If she is ten years younger, the odds rise to 8 out of 10, and so on. Let us consider the middle-aged or older women who is already widowed and who is dependent on a son. Again, the comparison of life expectancies shows that if she is 30 years older than her son, there is one chance in eight that she will outlive him. If she is 25 years older than her son, the chances that she will outlive him rise to one in six. If the widow is only 20 years older than her son, the chances of outliving him jump to one out of 4. The status of widows in all income maintenance programs should be reexamined in terms of today's realities and tomorrow's projections. May I conclude by thanking you for the opportunity to submit these concerns for the consideration of the committee. As always, the Administration on Aging is ready to provide to the committee any data or knowledge available to us. Sincerely yours, HERMAN B. BROTMAN, Chief, Research and Statistics, Division of Program and Legislative Analysis. [Enclosure] MEDIAN EARNINGS AND WORK EXPERIENCE OF MALE FAMILY HEADS WITH SOME EARNINGS, BY AGE, DISTRIBUTION OF YEAR-ROUND, FULL-TIME, MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER MALE FAMILY HEADS, BY AMOUNT OF 1 Year round equals 50-plus weeks; full time equals 35-plus hours per week; age as of March 1967. Source: Bureau of the Census. MEAN EARNINGS IN 1966 OF 14-PLUS AND 65-PLUS MALE YEAR-ROUND, FULL-TIME WORKERS, BY MAJOR OCCUPATION GROUP OF LONGEST JOB |