Fifty-four percent of all midlife and older American women are in the work force. Like their younger counterparts, most older women work in nonprofessional occupations. Regardless of their age, working women earn less than men. Sixty-five percent of working women aged 45 to 64 are married; 30 percent are widowed, divorced, or separated; and 5 percent have never married. Many women in their fifties and sixties have become displaced homemakers after years of being at home and supported by their husbands. Most are extremely vulnerable from an economic standpoint. The median educational attainment for women aged 45 to 64 is 12.6 years, with 80 percent having at least a high school diploma. Only one in eight women aged 45 to 64 is a college graduate as opposed to one in four between the ages of 25 and 34. Because of low wages and meager benefits during their working lives, many older women retire on an inadequate retirement income. Four out of five women have no pension at all. Government statistics claiming that older women have lower unemployment rates than do younger women mask the significant numbers of older women who have ceased looking for work because of prolonged, unsuccessful job searches. Cultural and age bias are other important problems facing older women. (A two-page fact sheet on women, work, and age is included.) (MN)