By the year 2030, one in four older Americans, irrespective of gender, will be a member of a minority group. Why Older Women s Issues Are Important Women live an average of six years longer than men. Women in the U.S. currently have a life expectancy approaching 80 years. However, the gift of longevity is frequently accompanied by a number of challenges. Some degree of chronic disease and disability is commonplace in old age.
Older women spend more years and a larger percentage of their lifetime disabled.
They are nearly twice as likely to reside in a nursing home. The chances that a woman will live at or below the poverty line increases with age. In fact, based on the latest available data from 1998, older women are almost twice as likely to live in poverty as are their male counterparts. Even more troubling are the statistics that capture the vulnerability of minority older women. Even more troubling are the statistics that capture the vulnerability of minority older women.