Widowhood is among the most stressful of life events and is, for many people, a central aspect of growing older. More than a third of people aged 65 years and over are widowed and 60 per cent of those aged 75 and over. The aging of the worlds population is oftentimes referred to as the feminization of the world, since as our population grows old, it also becomes more predominantly female. This disparity occurs because women tend to marry men older than themselves, and because women simply live longer than men. Today, there are 68 men for every 100 women over the age of 65 and this ratio is continuing to decrease steadily. There are 83 men for every 100 women between the ages of 65 and 69, and only 40 men for every 100 women among those 85 and older. This huge gap between men verses women results in a significant number of older women living alone.
             The death of a spose can profoundly effect the survivor along many different dimensions. There have been numerous studies looking at the lifestyles of women widowed in late life, examining, social participation, well-being and emotional response. Another side to widowhood is the financial aspect, for many resulting in poverty. All of these levels affects the overall quality of the lives of widows.
             It is safe to say that loneliness is one of the greatest problems of living alone. This is mainly a women's problem. As a man grows older, he has an increasing pool of women, including younger single, widowed and divorced women, available for a new union (as cited in Davidson 2000). However, for women the pool of eligible men shrinks. With these percentages men have an increased chance in getting remarried and often do so giving credenza to the old saying " women grieve, men replace." The up side to this is that women have more friends and acquaintances than men which is a great way to get the necessary emotional support needed at this time in their lives. Any individua...