WOMEN AND SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS

WHEREAS, Social Security benefits are based on an individual's earnings over a lifetime of work; and

WHEREAS, women's Social Security benefits are negatively affected if their years in the paid workforce have been interrupted for family responsibilities; and

WHEREAS, there is an unequal distribution of Social Security benefits to women as spouses in comparison to their earnings, which are generally lower than the earnings of men:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers support federal legislation to equalize the ways in which Social Security serves women; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT actively work for passage of legislation that will improve benefits for widows, including death benefits to be paid to survivors of single persons; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT also actively work for legislation that will provide credits for dependent care that would especially help women with "zero years" on their earnings record for time spent caring for their families.