Divorced women, poverty, and the Social Security Act: A policy analysis

This thesis examined the financial impact of the Social Security Act on older divorced women. The structure and intent of the original legislation of 1935 as well as amendments were analyzed. Progress in reducing poverty levels of older divorced women has been made through the amendment process; however, poverty levels still remain very high when compared to women in other groups. Older divorced women in specific ethnic groups continue to have the highest level of poverty. Other factors contributing to their poverty level such as time out of the workforce for childrearing, caregiving, lack of pensions, and lower pay were also examined. Because of lack of recognition of gender and race discrimination in the policy structure, current proposals such as privatization will only further contribute to the poverty levels of divorced women.