Older women face significant challenges maintaining economic security as they age. Their economic security hinges on what they have available in both income and savings, yet women, and women of color in particular, face deep inequities in the workforce, economy, housing, and health care systems. The cumulative impact of a lifetime of disparities means that, even before the additional burdens brought on by COVID-19, the risk of economic insecurity only increases.
We can and must implement policies that recognize both the contributions that women have provided to society throughout their lives, and the various types of discrimination, including racial, ethnic, and gender-based inequities that have negatively impacted their overall income and savings. A new issue brief authored jointly by Justice in Aging and the National Women’s Law Center, Supporting the Economic Security and Health of Older Women of Color, explores the reasons for the health and economic disparities that lead to precarious aging among older women—especially older women of color—and outlines the policy solutions that will advance equity.
