Why study widowed women: a rationale.

This essay represents an attempt to bring together literature from a variety of sources and develop it into an explanation and rationale for studying widowed women. Four factors are important in this regard: (1) the disproportionate number of widows vis-à-vis widowers, (2) the problems faced by widows and their accentuation as a result of prevailing societal norms and values, (3) the differences in response and adaptation to widowhood by sex, and (4) the more negative consequences, experienced by widowed women as compared to divorced women. Widows are more likely than other persons who have lost a spouse to work through the loss outside the context of remarriage and to develop single lifestyle adaptations with fewer available resources. The importance of social supports--both formal and informal--are paramount to their successful outcomes. To date these supports are weak and ineffective.