The management of death benefits by widows

M.A.Widowhood is a condition of an incomplete family structure resulting from death. Its consequences such as the absence of the father and husband can be aggravated, decreased or neutralised due to the effects of other conditions, relating to the availability of funds, relatives and community services. Widowhood presents problems and difficulties that most widowed people have to face. The elderly widows are faced with learning to live alone; leaving their own homes and adjusting to life with relatives; financial problems; and immediate care and support. The young widows, in addition, are faced with problems relating to decision-making; managing large sums of money; child upbringing; dispute with in-laws, relatives and older children over the death benefits and estate; lack of support and development programmes for young widows. Widows experience multiple problems that are more common in nature and necessitate a more preventative and developmental approach. Widows' problems are often ignored as, in most instances, they are classified as single mothers, like divorced or unmarried mothers, without paying special attention to the specific condition of widows in particular. Special community and organisational programmes to support and empower widows to cope with social, emotional and economic situations are lacking. Delamont (1980:221) argue that, yet not only is the evidence that being widowed catches most women unprepared financially, socially and emotionally, the study of women in this predicament has been neglected. The problems and factors associated with the management of death benefits by widows have also been neglected