Woman have more problems than men in old age. First of all, they have less money—or no money at all — and because of this, they often feel they get less respect , even at home. Quite a large number have no pension(退休费) because they have never worked outside the home, and thirty-eight percent are supported mainly by their husbands or children. Second, a larger number of old women than old men become widows(single women). Men are normally older than the women they marry, and women generally live longer than men. The remarriage among older widows is lower than that among widowers(single men). Statistics (统计) from 1990 in Shanghai show only 52 percent of elderly women with husbands still living, compared to(与---相比)82 percent of men.Because of lower incomes and the difficulty of remarriage,many elderly women who live alone, are poor and have almost no social life. Even an old couple lives with children, it is the woman who ends up doing the work around the house. She cleans the rooms, prepares meals, and takes care of the family. Some 75 percent of them carry out such heavy physical tasks as buying and carrying grain, coal and other supplies for the home. How to improve the quality of life of women in their later years is a question that needs to be dealt with by all the society