Because Social Security is specifically designed to boost the retirement income of low earners with a progressive benefit formula, the program has played an enormous and necessary role in keeping Latinas out of poverty. ↗
On the other end of the spectrum, these women who do live long enough to collect Social Security face the challenge of being disproportionately dependent on the Social Security system for retirement income. ↗
Social Security makes up a much larger share of total retirement income for unmarried women and minorities than it does for married couples, unmarried men and whites. ↗