Income Supports

Because women face economic insecurity throughout their lives and are more likely to be supporting families on their own, public benefits programs are especially important to women.

Housing impacts every aspect of the lives of women, LGBTQ people, and their families—which is why NWLC works across the government and in communities to ensure everyone has fair access to affordable and accessible housing.

Women on average live longer than men–but usually have fewer pension benefits and retirement savings. Improving pensions and retirement savings for women would supplement Social Security–and is critical to women’s retirement security.

Social Security is critically important to women, and especially to women of color. Without it, about half of all women 65 and older would be poor. It also provides valuable disability and life insurance protections to workers and their families.

Unemployment insurance (UI) is a social insurance program that provides temporary wage replacement to unemployed workers who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. Women—who typically experience lower earnings and a higher risk of poverty than men—need strong unemployment protections to ensure they are able to weather periods of hardship.