NYWF’s Voices from the Field series is comprised of four Blueprint for Investing in Women reports that explore the position, needs, and strategies for supporting the security and contributions of low-income NYC women during one of four major developmental periods (i.e. ages 0-8, 9-24, 25-29, and 60+). The series is based on a “Voices from the Field” approach that draws on data obtained from academic and policy research and from interviews with a cross-section of on-the-ground leaders – including members of each age cohorts. Its goals are to: (1) broaden understanding of the key role and issues of NYC’s low-income girls and women; (2) stimulate broad, productive discussion of how best to support those roles and address those issues; and (3) catalyze bold investment into promising strategies and solutions.
Blueprint for Investing in Women Age 60+
Older women – particularly low-income older women of color and immigrant older women – represent a significant and growing segment of NYC’s population. They play vital roles in tens of thousands of families across some of the poorest communities of the city – managing housekeeping and child-minding duties so adult children can be put in grueling work hours, single-handedly raising some 100,000 grandchildren, and caring and providing for dependent relatives of all ages. Many are the pillars of faith and community organizations. Some still manage paid work. And most fill these multiple, critical functions while contending with a range of steep challenges – poverty, compromised health, ongoing losses of social networks, and inadequate care for their own needs.
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