On the surface, Social Security may not seem to be a relevant topic for Black History Month. But it is. Social Security has helped provide Americans with basic financial security for generations of retirees, the disabled and their families.  It has been especially beneficial to Black Americans – whose average earnings and retirement savings are lower than their white counterparts’.

We asked NCPSSM senior policy analyst Maria Freese, an expert in women’s retirement issues, why a higher minimum wage is so crucial for women in the long run.  

National Equal Pay Day 2019 reminds us that gender pay equity is crucial not only for social justice, but for women’s retirement security.

Let's add something to the gift list for mom this Mother's Day along with flowers and candy: financial security in retirement.   Our nation's mothers – indeed, all American women – are at greater risk of financial insecurity in their senior years than fathers (and other men). For myriad reasons, the women in our lives are less able to save for retirement than men, and their Social Security benefits are typically lower.

We've written a lot about how pay inequity has hurt generations of working women, not just while they're on the job, but lasting throughout their retirement.   The economic challenges facing American women in retirement is the heart of our “Eleanor's Hope” project, designed to raise awareness and advocate for legislation to address the inequities threatening millions of retired women.