Women live longer!: the need for lesbians to act on aging!

Little research has been undertaken examining the predicted social and financial support available for aging lesbian women in Sydney. This study surveyed sixty-one Sydney based lesbians in terms of their retirement plans, future financial support and aspirations. The findings highlighted that there are currently very few support services available that address the needs of aging lesbians and that there are particular issues experienced by this group in retirement. It also demonstrated community interest in the development of aged services particularly for lesbian women. Despite the sample being comprised of predominantly professional, working women who were contributing to superannuation schemes, almost half of the lesbians surveyed predicted reduced living standards upon retirement and many subjects demonstrated poor planning and/or knowledge of their financial futures. The study highlights the need for the lesbian community to act on their futures and suggests further investigation into several issues pertaining to lesbian women.