Older Women's Retirement Security: A Primer

Multiple Marginalizations Based on Age: Gendered Ageism and Beyond

“…For example, recent developments within the pension system schemes that promote individualization and privatization of pensions are found to exacerbate gender inequality (Leitner 2001), where the diverse life courses and work histories of men and women have their immediate result in a considerable gender pension gap (Foster and Smetherham 2013;Frericks et al 2007Frericks et al , 2009Price 2006). Therefore, not without a reason, Hartmann and English (2009) stated that financial security while on pension is of particular importance to women. The institution of retirement as we know it is a men's concept (Calasanti 1993(Calasanti , 2002 and within that context it is not surprising that unquestioned heteropatriarchal norms (Grady 2015) are overlooked in social policies as a gender-neutral approach.…”

The Influence of Women Legislators on State Health Care Spending for the Poor

“…Living longer fosters higher rates of various disabilities and the need for medical care and assistance [57]. But the income histories and net worth of women are characteristically lower than for men [58,59], so paying for professional health and long-term care services is frequently difficult. Moreover, adult women often keep closer track and are more keenly aware of their parents' situations than men, and they routinely bear the lion's share of the care-giving provided by family members to elderly parents.…”

Retirement Security for Black, Non-Hispanic White, and Mexican-Origin Women: The Changing Roles of Marriage and Work

“…Several key vulnerabilities associated with race and Hispanic ethnicity affect the probability of employment and, therefore, partly explain the increased risk of retirement income insecurity (Hartmann and English 2009). In the United States, employers are not required to offer pensions or retirement savings plans (Gassoumis, Wilber, and Torres-Gil 2008).…”

“…Low levels of savings and inadequate retirement plans, then, mean that single and minority group women rely disproportionately on Social Security and other assistance programs (Hartmann and English 2009). Yet, many older Mexican-American women do not receive social security benefits (National Council of La Raza 2005; Social Security Administration 2005).…”