Karlene Davis, 57, has been thinking about aging since her thirties, after spending eight years as the primary caregiver for her parents. Davis, a Black woman from Los Angeles, has no husband, siblings, or children, and realized that there would be no other family members to care for her needs as she ages. Davis is one of nearly a million Americans “without relatives.”
Family Care and Social Instability
Family members provide over 95% of informal care for seniors who do not live in nursing homes, according to population references. However, with rising rates of single individuals (due to divorce and remaining unmarried), while birth rates decline, there is increasing concern about who will care for this large group of seniors who have no partner or family member to provide care. The concern is particularly acute for Black women, who, according to a 2017 study, have lower levels of wealth and higher rates of lacking relatives.
The Cost of Being Single
Like experts studying singleness, Marsh states that standards and policies, such as those determining Social Security benefits and health insurance coverage, do not align with the unique connections and networks of single adults in the United States. As a result, being single comes at a steep cost due to a lack of equitable coverage, reduced Social Security benefits, and limited ability to save money with only one individual to generate income and benefits for the designated household.
The Status of Singleness
Women interviewed in the study acknowledge the reality of not having a marriage partner, especially regarding obtaining additional Social Security benefits or care, which has led them to build “intentional communities of chosen family,” according to Morman. Davis embodies this pursuit of intentional communities as she has made arrangements for support and care with her long-time friends. Davis states, “The person who represents me in healthcare is a friend I’ve known since kindergarten,” adding, “I have a list in my will of the people I’ve granted access to my personal health and financial information.”
Planning for the Future as “Relative-less” Adults
Carol Tucker, 63, a lab director at a medical college in Atlanta, Georgia, who divorced about five years ago after a 27-year marriage, says that being single can be a challenge regarding insurance and thinking about the future, “Who will take care of me if I’m unable to care for myself?”
Carol has conducted her own research and turned to her friends to find out their strategies for coping with the aftermath of divorce. She says that being single has allowed her to adapt in preparing for aging and the future. She is modifying her will and investing a larger portion of her income in long-term disability insurance, and she reassesses her plans and finances each year. When seeking mental and financial support as a single woman, Carol says she turns to her trusted circle that she calls her “senate.”
Inequality in Aging
Experts say it is incorrect to consider children, siblings, partners, spouses, and parents as the only options for care, as this overlooks the cultural values of non-white families. However, these supportive networks often do not receive the benefits that are frequently reserved for marital and familial connections. “We need to think of marital status as a line of justice, both in terms of policy and how it exacerbates other inequalities,” according to Morman.
In the last decade, marriage has become increasingly associated with economic and racial status, with rising rates of marriage among whites and those with higher income and education. Furthermore, married couples receive more economic benefits post-marriage. “Marriage is a result of inequality and reinforces this inequality in the future,” according to Jeffrey Sanzi-Basher, an economics professor at Boston University.
Inequality
Equality in Aging
Couples gain “two chances” at health insurance and social security benefits – giving the spouse a second opportunity for any array of benefits, according to Sanzibacher. He says this disadvantages single individuals. “From the outset, you have a systemic option to reward marriage because we allow two people instead of one to benefit from these employer-provided benefits,” he states. He points out that social security policy was implemented in 1935 when most adults in the United States were married and most white women were not working. This policy granted couples access to social security benefits for their partner. “Single people do not get the same value for their contributions to social security that married people do,” he says. “When married people are rewarded with a full set of benefits and protections just for being married, while single people are denied these benefits, it is inherently unjust,” according to Dibolo.
The Number of Single Adults in the U.S. is Rising
The number of single adults in the United States is increasing. Those who do marry are doing so at later years; divorce remains high, and remarriage rates are declining, according to Dibolo. This means that people are spending most of their time unmarried rather than married. Scholars say it’s time for policies to recognize the intentional communities and support networks that single individuals create.
Inequality in Aging
Davis’ perspectives and researchers like Dibolo argue that achieving equality in aging requires shifts in policies and political will to support older adults, as well as redefining standards related to relationship status and value. “Everyone deserves the essentials of human dignity. A person’s value is not determined by their marital or emotional status, and their rights, benefits, and protections should not be tied to these statuses,” according to Dibolo.
This story was originally published on Fortune.com
Source: https://www.aol.com/disproportionate-number-black-women-kinless-100000290.html
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