While women have made great strides in the workforce, they continue to lag behind men when it comes to being able to live comfortably in retirement. In 2012, more than 10 percent of women age 65 and older were living in poverty. To highlight the problem of retirement security as it affects women, Pension Rights Center executive vice president and policy director Karen Friedman took part in a video produced by the Service Employees International Union for Women’s History Month, “I am not Margaret Mead.” Karen also wrote a blog entry detailing the reasons that women are more economically vulnerable than men in retirement. The blog entry, cross-posted on Huffington Post, advocates strengthening Social Security and developing innovative cost effective ways to help women save for retirement.
More: PRC blog entry: March: Women's History Month -- and the Winter of Our Retirement Discontent | SEIU video: I am not Margaret Mead"

Legislation intended to strengthen economic security for private-sector workers in retirement is making its way through the legislative bodies in Connecticut and Illinois. In Connecticut, Karen Friedman testified in support of S. 249, An Act Promoting Retirement Savings, a bill allowing the state to create a state-run retirement savings plan for private-sector workers whose employers do not already sponsor a retirement plan. The bill is expected to be voted on by the General Assembly’s Appropriations committee in April. A similar bill, the Illinois Secure Choice Savings Program Act, would create a state-run Individual Retirement Account for private-sector workers. This bill has been reported out of the Senate Executive Committee and is now before the state Senate. These bills are part of a wave of legislation being considered in Oregon, Maryland, Minnesota and other states.
More: Pension Rights Center testimony before Connecticut General Assembly

Below are just a few of the articles we've been quoted in. Check out the PRC in the News section of our website for more.

• Consumer Reports: Your retirement-planning time table: It pays to consider the details early—even 15 years ahead

• Forbes: Companies Prepare To Dump Pension Plans In 2014

• AOL News: Boeing's Pension Scale Back Is a Sign of the Coming Times

• New York Times: The Best 401(k)s Set a Higher Bar for Others

• Washington Post: EXPLAINED: The nation’s retirement savings crisis, in two charts