Widow

A widow is a woman whose spouse has died, while a widower is a man in that situation. The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed widowhood. These terms are not applied to a person after he or she becomes divorced from their former spouse, though they may sometimes be used after the former spouse has died.

This term "widowhood" can be used for either sex, at least according to some dictionaries, but the word widowerhood is also listed in some dictionaries. Occasionally, the word viduity is used. The adjective form for either sex is widowed.

The treatment of widows around the world varies, but unequal benefits and treatment generally received by widows compared to those received by widowers globally has spurred an interest in the issue by human rights activists.

Economic position

In societies where the husband is the sole provider, his death can leave his family destitute. The tendency for women generally to outlive men can compound this, since men in many societies marry women younger than themselves. In some patriarchal societies, widows may maintain economic independence. A woman would carry on her spouse's business and be accorded certain rights, such as entering guilds. More recently, widows of political figures have been among the first women elected to high office in many countries, such as Corazón Aquino or Isabel Martínez de Perón.

Widows (TV series)

Widows was a British primetime television serial aired in 1983, produced by Euston Films for Thames Television and aired on the ITV network.

The six-part series revolved was written by crime writer Lynda La Plante. The executive producer was Verity Lambert.

The haunting music that was heard at intervals throughout series 1 and in the final credits of Widows 2, is "What Is Life to Me Without Thee" from the opera L'Orfeo, sung here by Kathleen Ferrier.

Plot

Three armed robbers—Harry Rawlins, Terry Miller, and Joe Pirelli—are killed during an armed robbery. They are survived by their widows, Dolly Rawlins (Ann Mitchell), Shirley Miller (Fiona Hendley), and Linda Pirelli (Maureen O'Farrell). With the police applying pressure, and a rival gang intending to take over Harry Rawlins' crime business, the widows turn to Dolly for leadership.

She uses Harry's famous "ledgers", a cache of books detailing all his robberies over the years, to find the details of the failed robbery, and, enlisting the help of a fourth woman, Bella O'Reilly (Eva Mottley), they resolve to pull off the raid themselves. At the same time, they discover the "fourth man" in the raid escaped—leaving their husbands for dead. Dolly must contend with the police and the gang, as well as her fellow widows, agitating for vengeance.

Widows (film)

Widows (Spanish: Viudas) is a 2011 Argentine dramatic comedy film directed by Marcos Carnevale. The film was the second highest grossing non-US film in Argentina in 2011.

Cast

References

External links