A Challenge to Social Security: The Changing Roles of Women and Men in American Society (Institute for Research on Poverty monograph series)

A Challenge to Social Security: The Changing Roles of Women and Men in American Society is a collection of papers that deals with social security reform. The papers concern insurance and pure income transfer aspects of various proposals and the assumptions regarding the family and work behavior found in each proposal. The proposed reforms attempt to fix the shortcomings of the Old Age, Survivors Insurance (OASI) Program, sometimes at the expense of reducing the subsidy for women who remain at home, or through alterations of the subsidy's nature. Other papers discuss the current spouse benefits under the dual entitlement rule; homemaker credits; child-care drop-out years; and one going against the grain, earnings sharing. One paper sees earning sharing as the only way to provide security to the homemaker without being unfair to the working wife. Other papers tackle the issues of women and a two-tier social security system; the double-decker alternative to eliminate dependency under social security; and the social security reform from a feminist's perspective. This collection can prove useful for economists, sociologists, political scientists, and policy makers involved in welfare and social security. Content: A Challenge to Social Security , Page ii Front Matter , Page iii Copyright , Page iv Inside Front Cover , Page v List of Figures and Tables , Pages xiii-xvi Contributors , Pages xvii-xviii Acknowledgments , Pages xix-xx Director's Foreword , Pages xxi-xxii , Eugene Smolensky 1 - Introduction , Pages 1-20 , RICHARD V. BURKHAUSER, KAREN C. HOLDEN 2 - Concepts Underlying the Current Controversy about Women's Social Security Benefits , Pages 21-39 , ROBERT J. LAMPMAN, MAURICE MACDONALD 3 - Supplemental OASI Benefits to Homemakers through Current Spouse Benefits, a Homemaker Credit, and Child-Care Drop-Out Years , Pages 41-72 , KAREN C. HOLDEN 4 - Earnings Sharing: Incremental and Fundamental Reform , Pages 73-99 , RICHARD V. BURKHAUSER 5 - Women and a Two-Tier Social Security System , Pages 101-130 , ALICIA H. MUNNELL, LAURA E. STIGLIN 6 - The Double-Decker Alternative for Eliminating Dependency under Social Security , Pages 131-167 , JENNIFER L. WARLICK, DAVID E. BERRY, IRWIN GARFINKEL 7 - Disability Insurance under Proposed Reforms , Pages 169-199 , WILLIAM G. JOHNSON, WILLIAM B. BURFIELD 8 - Occupational Pension Plans and Spouse Benefits , Pages 201-228 , FRANCIS P. KING 9 - The Housewife and Social Security Reform: A Feminist Perspective , Pages 229-233 , BARBARA R. BERGMANN 10 - Incremental Change in Social Security Needed to Result in Equal and Fair Treatment of Men and Women , Pages 235-245 , ROBERT J. MYERS 11 - The Changing Nature of Social Security , Pages 247-252 , STANFORD G. ROSS Glossary , Pages 253-258 References , Pages 259-263 Index , Pages 265-272 Institute for Research on Poverty Monograph Series , Pages ibc1-ibc2 Edited By Richard V. Burkhauser, Karen C. Holden. Includes Index. Bibliography: P. 259-263.