Social Security

Women rely more heavily than men on income from Social Security. We're working to protect Social Security and improve benefits for vulnerable beneficiaries.

Highlights

Reports & Toolkits | Obama Plan Fails to Adequately Protect Long-Term Social Security Beneficiaries from Chained CPI

April 16, 2013

This analysis examines how effective the bump-ups for long-term beneficiaries that President Obama proposed in his FY 2014 budget would be in protecting the typical single elderly woman from the effects of the chained CPI.

Coalition Action Materials | NWLC Supports the Social Security Enhancement Act

March 21, 2013

The National Women’s Law Center expresses its strong support for the Social Security Enhancement and Protection Act of 2013.

Reports & Toolkits | Chained CPI Imposes Painful Social Security Benefit Cuts and a Benefit Bump-Up Provides Only Limited Relief

December 14, 2012

As part of deficit-reduction negotiations, some policy makers have proposed switching to the chained consumer price index (CPI) to calculate the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for Social Security and other programs. The chained CPI would lower the annual COLA more and more over time, reducing the value of Social Security benefits. Read more...

Reports & Toolkits | Cutting the Social Security COLA by Changing the Way Inflation Is Calculated Would Especially Hurt Women

June 23, 2011

Cutting the Social Security COLA by Changing the Way Inflation is Calculated Would Especially Hurt Women shows that women will be hit hardest by changing the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment from the CPI-W to the “chained CPI”. This proposed change delivers a triple whammy to women. Since women live longer than men, they face deeper cuts in their Social Security benefits under the chained CPI because the cuts get larger each year. Women rely more on income from Social Security than do men, so these cuts would represent a greater share of their total retirement income. And since older women are already more economically vulnerable than older men, these cuts will leave more of them unable to meet basic needs.

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Legal Briefs & Testimony | Testimony of Joan Entmacher Before the Senate Special Committee on Aging on Strengthening Social Security and SSI to Improve Women’s Retirement Security

July 25, 2012

Vice-President of Family Economic Security Joan Entmacher testified before the Senate Special Committee on Aging on strengthening Social Security and SSI to impove women's retirement security.

Fact Sheet | New Census report supports NWLC’s findings that proposed Social Security cuts would especially hurt elderly women

November 18, 2011

Women are three-quarters of the very elderly (individuals 90 and older) and very elderly women are more economically insecure and more likely to have a disability than very elderly men. These facts show that changing the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) from its current index to the “chained CPI” will result in significant cuts to Social Security benefits that deepen over the years and dramatically increase economic insecurity among the elderly—especially women.

Fact Sheet | House Balanced Budget Amendment (H.J. Res. 2): Rewriting the Constitution to Raid the Social Security Trust Fund

November 16, 2011

The balanced budget amendment (H.J. Res. 2) would amend the Constitution to require that federal spending in any fiscal year not exceed revenues collected in that fiscal year unless three-fifths of members in each chamber of Congress agree to additional spending. Along with forcing the federal government to take steps that would weaken the economy during a recession, H.J. Res. 2 could force cuts to the Social Security benefits, even when Social Security has ample reserves.

Coalition Action Materials | National Women’s Law Center Opposes Balanced Budget Amendment, H.J. Res. 2

November 14, 2011

The National Women's Law Center sent a letter to the House of Representatives opposing the balanced budget amendment (H.J. Res. 2). Compliance with a balanced budget requirement would likely require major cuts to vital programs, including Social Security, and would dangerously weaken the federal government’s ability to respond to recessions, emergencies, and new challenges.

Fact Sheet | State-by-State Fact Sheets for Super-Committee Advocacy

August 19, 2011

These 51 fact sheets provide state-specific information to help advocates demonstrate why any plan the congressional "super-committee" devises for deficit reduction must protect programs vital to the wellbeing of women and families; make millionaires and corporations pay their fair share; and create jobs for women and men.

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Typical Single Elderly Woman’s Social Security Benefit Won’t Fully Recover from Chained CPI – Unless She Lives to 104

Here's an Idea: Instead of Cutting Women's Social Security Benefits, Let's Improve Them

Living to 100 Would Be A Little Harder With Stealth Cuts to Social Security, Especially For Women

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Amy K. Matsui

Amy K. Matsui is Senior Counsel and Director of Women and the Courts at the National Women’s Law Center. She works on economic issues affecting low- and moderate-income women and families, with special emphasis on federal and state tax policy and women’s retirement security.

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