Women Have Lower Income in Retirement than Men -- And Thus Higher Poverty.  In 1997, median income for elderly unmarried women (widowed, divorced, separated, and never married) was $11,161, compared with $14,769 for elderly unmarried men and $29,278 for elderly married couples. Thus, the poverty rate for elderly women was higher than that of men: in 1997, the poverty rate of elderly women was 13.1 percent, compared to 7.0 percent among men. Among unmarried elderly women, the poverty rate was significantly higher -- about 19 percent.

Social Security Is Particularly Important to Women. Elderly unmarried women -- including widows -- get 51 percent of their total income from Social Security. Unmarried elderly men get 39 percent, while elderly married couples get 36 percent of their income from Social Security. For 25 percent of unmarried women, Social Security is their only source of income, compared to 9 percent of married couples and 20 percent of unmarried men. Without Social Security benefits, the elderly poverty rate among women would have been 52.2 percent and among widows would have been 60.6 percent.

Women Face Greater Economic Challenges in Retirement. First, women tend to live longer: a woman who is 65 years old today can expect to live to 85, while a 65 year old man can expect to live to 81. Second, women have lower lifetime earnings than men do. And third, women reach retirement with smaller pensions and other assets than men do.

The Current Social Security System Has a Number of Features That Help Women Meet These Challenges.

1. Social Security provides an inflation-protected benefit that lasts as long as you live. Since women tend to live longer than men, they are in greater danger of outliving their other sources of retirement income; but it is impossible to outlive one's Social Security benefit.

2. The progressive benefit formula provides a higher replacement rate for workers with lower earnings. For the median female retiree, Social Security replaces 54 percent of average lifetime earnings, compared with 41 percent for the median male.

3. Social Security provides extra benefits to spouses with low lifetime earnings. The Social Security spousal benefit helps many women, even if they did not work at all outside the home.

4. Social Security provides benefits to elderly widows; 74 percent of elderly widows receive benefits based on the earnings of their deceased spouse.

5. Social Security provides benefits to spouses of any age who care for children under 16 if the worker (other spouse) is retired, becomes disabled, or dies; women represent 98 percent of recipients receiving benefits as spouses with a child in their care.

Social Security Will Continue to Be Important for Women in the Future. As the labor force participation rates of women continue to rise, women in the future will reach retirement with much more substantial earnings histories than in the past. Therefore, the percentage of women receiving benefits based solely on their own earnings history is expected to rise from 37 percent today to 60 percent in 2060. However, this means that 40 percent of women will continue to receive benefits based on their husband's earnings.

Social Security Will Continue to Be Important for Women in the Future. As the labor force participation rates of women continue to rise, women in the future will reach retirement with much more substantial earnings histories than in the past. Therefore, the percentage of women receiving benefits based solely on their own earnings history is expected to rise from 37 percent today to 60 percent in 2060. However, this means that 40 percent of women will continue to receive benefits based on their husband's earnings.

Poverty Rates Among Unmarried Elderly Women -- Especially Widows Who Make up 45 Percent of All Elderly Women -- Are High. Divorced women are a growing share of the elderly population, and their poverty rate is higher than the overall elderly poverty rate. And finally, poverty rates among elderly minority groups are unacceptably high.

Among Current Retirees, Women Have Much Less Pension Coverage Than Men. Only 30 percent of all women aged 65 or older were receiving a pension in 1994 (either worker or survivor benefits), compared to 48 percent of men.

Pensions Received by Women Are Worth Less than Those Received by Men. Among new private sector pension annuity recipients in 1993-94, the median annual benefit for women was $4,800, or only half of the median benefit of $9,600 received by men. And among women approaching retirement, pension wealth is much smaller: for example, single women had average pension wealth that was 34 percent of the single men's average.

Among Workers, Women's Pension Coverage Depends on Work Status. Overall, fewer women workers have pensions through work, 40 percent of women compared to 44 percent of men. However, women in full-time jobs are equally likely to have pension coverage as men; in 1997, 50 percent of women in full-time jobs had pensions compared to 49 percent of men. It is important to note, though, that women are much more likely to work part-time or be out of the labor force than men.