At a Glance | July 2, 2020 Retirement Lifestyle and Spending: Women Retirees’ Expectations vs. Realities LIFE IN RETIREMENT How does your overall lifestyle in retirement now compare to how you expected it to be before you retired? The overall expectations for lifestyle in retirement were Lifestyle in Retirement Compared With Expectations more likely to be met for Much Somewhat Somewhat Much Worse Worse About the Same Better Better Women Retirees married and never-married 6% 14% 51% 19% 10% women retirees. Divorced and All widowed retirees were most 5% 10% 49% 24% 12% Married likely to rate their overall 10% 20% 45% 13% 12% Divorced lifestyle in retirement as somewhat or much worse than 7% 17% 57% 12% 7% Widowed expected. 4% 6% 53% 20% 17% Never-Married EXPENSES AND SPENDING Are your overall expenses and spending in retirement higher or lower than you expected? Widowed women retirees were least likely to say Overall Spending in Retirement Compared With Expectations Much Somewhat Somewhat Much that overall spending was in line Women Retirees Higher Higher About the Same Lower Lower with their expectations and 13% 28% 45% 6% 6% All most likely to say it was much lower than expected. 7% 25% 55% 8% 4% Married 17% 27% 41% 3% 3% Divorced 19% 35% 30% 4% 10% Widowed 7% 18% 61% 7% 3% Never-Married HOME SWEET HOME Are your housing expenses in retirement higher or lower than you expected? Housing expenses were more Housing Expenses in Retirement Compared With Expectations likely to meet expectations Much Somewhat Somewhat Much Higher Higher About the Same Lower Lower or be lower than expected Women Retirees for married women retirees 9% 19% 53% 5% 8% All than for unmarried retirees. 6% 14% 67% 5% 4% Married Divorced women retirees 17% 18% 43% 4% 5% stood out, saying that housing Divorced expenses were much higher 8% 24% 41% 5% 18% Widowed than expected. 8% 29% 43% 6% 3% Never-Married SOURCE: Craig Copeland, “Retirement Confidence Survey: Attitudes Toward Retirement by Women of Different Marital Statuses,” EBRI Issue Brief, no. 507 (Employee Benefit Research Institute, June 8, 2020). © 2020 EBRI This report is copyrighted by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). You may copy, print, or download this report solely for personal and noncommercial use, provided that all hard copies retain any and all copyright and other applicable notices contained therein, and you may cite or quote small portions of the report provided that you do so verbatim and with proper citation. Any use beyond the scope of the foregoing requires EBRI’s prior express permission. For permissions, please contact EBRI at permissions@ebri.org.