Widows have an 85 percent higher mortality rate than married women. The best-off widows are those who are household heads and have sons. The more complete story lies beyond the numbers. Other socioeconomic arrangements also matter for instance, a widow may be seen as living with household members even though she lives alone and fends for herself on a household's property. During the discussion that followed Chen's presentation, she noted that she found a noticeable drop in agricultural and salaried work when women became widows, even though widows 30-50 years old had a higher employment rate than married women.
Widows have to push the boundaries of what is acceptable work.
Widowhood also handicaps children. Chen found that the children of widows have a 20 percent higher mortality rate than other children. Chen sees women's organizations at the local level as the most effective means of helping widows. A national conference Chen organized led to 10 NGOs in 6 states taking on the needs of widows on the issues of pension schemes and property rights.