Funcas report finds widowhood disproportionately benefits men's wealth

A report by Mayssum El-Attar Vilalta and Raquel Fonseca, published by the Funcas Foundation in ‘Papeles de Economía Española’, highlights significant gender disparities in wealth following the death of a spouse. The study, titled ‘Gender inequality in wealth after widowhood’, indicates that while widowhood can increase overall wealth, the benefits are disproportionately skewed toward men.

According to the researchers, men tend to maintain or increase their real and financial assets, whereas women often experience smaller gains or even losses in wealth when becoming widows. The authors note that men and women accumulate wealth differently due to varying income trajectories, pension rights, financial training, and risk preferences.

By analyzing data from the Family Financial Survey between 2002 and 2020, the report explains that widowhood serves as a unique metric to reveal individual economic positions, as it transforms joint household resources into individual balances.