A descriptive study of some problems of widows in Portland, Oregon

Widowhood is an inevitable phase of the life cycle for three out of every four married women. It is apparent by the lack of research about widowhood that it has been neglected as a developmental phase in the life cycle. Presently there are ten million widows in this country and their numbers are increasing each year. It is appalling that with a population this large, little attention has been directed towards research about widowhood. Other than recognizing that the widow may have financial problems for which Social Security provides assistance, few people realize what it means to be widowed. For these reasons, we decided to study the problems of widowhood. The purpose of this study is to examine the problems involved in widowhood and what might be helpful in dealing with them. In addition, another goal of this study is to increase public awareness about the plight of the widow