Older Americans – who spent their lives working hard, raising families, and laying the foundation for all that we have in America today – shouldn't have to live in constant fear of not being able to meet their basic needs.   And yet, millions of struggling seniors across the country are deciding between paying for groceries, medicine, or their mortgage.    Business Insider reports that  58% of women hold low-pay but NECESSARY  jobs  are totally unprepared for retirement. 1 of 4 depend on SS for 90% of their -income living in or near poverty.

Social Security (S.S.) is a vital safeguard against poverty for older women who make up approximately 60% of S.S. beneficiaries at age 65   . Because women live about seven years longer than men, they make up 71% of recipients by age 85. Women tend to earn less than men and, on average, spend less time in the workforce;     therefore, many enter their retirement years totally unprepared financially.     
Due to home and caregiving responsibilities women spend an average of 11.5 years out of the workforce. Some work part-time and many work at low paying jobs. Approximately 58 % of women today still hold sales, service and clerical jobs — low wage positions which insure these women will have lower S.S. benefits and quite likely no private pension. By the mid 1990's only 18% of women over age 65 were receiving private pensions.
Those who were single or divorced were usually substantially poorer than married women. Without the protection of Social Security many will face financial insecurity in their later years. In fact, one out of four older women depend on Social Security for 90 % of their income and many of these women live in or near poverty.
 It is little known that Social Security is not only a social insurance which protects elders who may have little or no other income but that it is also a family insurance policy. One-third of Social Security benefits go to the disabled (even young disabled) surviving spouses and to children who have lost a parent.