In the coming decades, educational attainment among older people is likely to increase considerably as the current baby boomers begin to reach retirement age. In 1999, about one-third of men and women ages 65 and older had not completed high school, compared with only one-fifth of men and women ages 55 to 64.
At the college level, gains will be especially pronounced among older women. In 1999, about 11 percent of women ages 65 and older had a Bachelor's degree or higher, compared with 19 percent of women ages 55 to 64. With higher levels of education, the older population of the future is likely to be better off, both physically and financially, than the current population ages 65 and older.
There will also be notable changes in family settings and living arrangements of older people. If current trends continue, there will be a decline in the proportion of women who are widows at any given age, as men's life expectancy continues to improve. Also, the percentage of divorced persons in the older population is likely to increase. In 1999, 15 percent of women and 12 percent of men ages 55 to 64 were divorced and had not remarried, compared with only 7 percent of women and men ages 65 and older.
