The biggest fear women 50 and older have about retirement is that they might become a health care or long-term care responsibility for their families.
While the prospect worries men, too, a Nationwide Retirement Institute survey reveals that more women are worried about that prospect—66 percent of respondents said so—than the 50 percent of male respondents who said so.
In addition, 78 percent of those worried women said that they're worried about having enough money to cover long-term care expenses.
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But that doesn't mean they've actually discussed those worries with anyone. In fact, six out of 10 women aged 50 or older (62 percent) haven't talked to anyone about LTC costs.
Among women with a spouse or women with at least one child, the most common reason they haven't brought up the subject with that spouse or child is that they don't want them to worry (43 percent and 62 percent, respectively).
But health care costs during retirement loom large in women's minds, as can be inferred from some of their other responses. Among women aged 50 years or older, 67 percent say they would rather die than live in a nursing home; 73 percent would prefer to get LTC in their own home, but only 51 percent think they will.
And 64 percent say they are "terrified" of what health care costs may do to their retirement plans.
Many would delay their retirement if they had to buy their own health insurance (49 percent) or keep their children on their employee-based health insurance plan (24 percent).
Forty percent said they do not expect to retire at all. And women are so worried about how to pay health care bills that 47 percent are willing to give all their money to their children so they could be eligible for Medicaid-funded LTC.
Considering that women's average life expectancy is 86, and one out of every four can expect to hit age 92, women's odds of needing LTC during their retirement are high. Yet only 9 percent of women 50 or older said they'd talked about the cost of LTC with a financial advisor.
Among those who have discussed retirement with an advisor, 57 percent at least plan to talk about LTC costs with them.
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