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As the population ages, our societies are confronted with an unprecedented situation that has far-ranging political, economic and social implications. Those issues were expressed formally in the Laroque Report in 1962, which represents the starting point of old-age policy in France. The aim then was to improve living standards at a time when poverty, social isolation and « deficient » health were common among older people. Fifty years later, the socio-economic situation of older people has improved substantially. Although old age is no longer associated with the « wretchedness » denounced by Simone de Beauvoir (1970), we should not lose sight of the fact that considerable inequalities persist. These have a differentiated impact on the ageing process and induce differentiated behaviour and, more broadly, differentiated lifestyles. This article examines economically precarious living conditions, by focusing on the social pathways and experiences of older women.