ITHACA, N.Y., Feb. 18 (UPI) -- Recent studies by New York's Cornell University suggest that women tend to plan less for retirement, and lesbians plan even less than most.
"Although the quality of a marriage tends to influence how much a couple plans for retirement, the link between relationship satisfaction and retirement planning is much stronger for same-sex couples," said Steven E. Mock, a doctoral student in human development at Cornell.
Mock and his two Cornell colleagues, Catherine J. Taylor and Ritch Savin-Williams, analyzed data from interviews with 39 women and seven men in same-sex relationships. The couples were among 1,900 in a larger Cornell Ecology of Careers study.
An estimated 3 to 8 percent of adults are gay or lesbian and roughly 4 million Americans who will be over the age of 65 by 2030 will be gay or lesbian, experts say.
"Hopefully, its sheer magnitude will make an impact on helping gay men and lesbians plan better for retirement and in modifying laws and policies to better protect same-sex partners," Mock said.
