She has sacrificed a number of years of seniority. Though she has worked all her life, on application forms she must aver that she has no experience. If she wants to remarry, she must face the realities. Men at age forty or fifty are in their prime. She has become obsolete.
Women age more quickly in our society by social definition if in no other way.
Because of the cant which says that she must marry a man older than herself or face the consequences, while he is free to marry any sweet young thing that comes along, she must compete with younger women. She may find herself caught in a demographic squeeze such as that faced by those born in the post-war baby boom who must pick a mate from a relatively small group of males born during the war or the depression. A salary compensates in a small way for these inequities. A salary provides an opportunity to accumulate a nest egg against an uncertain future. A salary provides a vehicle for independence.