A: The Social Security Administration reports that nearly 20% of unmarried women age 65 or older live below the poverty line, compared with 5% of married elderly women. Women’s social security incomes are often much less than that of their husbands.

Retirement benefits, for many couples today, are often the most substantial assets in the marital estate. This asset can play an integral role in the life of both a widow and divorcee

Because more women encounter breast and cervical cancer at relatively early ages, they actually pay more than men do for 30-year policies at age 40. Women pay $355 a year for a 30-year, $250,000 policy, while men pay $335 a year. Men and women age 40 pay the same for 10-year policies ($130 a year) and 20-year policies ($203 a year).