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How Much Does Social Security Offset the Motherhood Penalty?

July 6, 2021
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The brief’s key findings are:

  • When women become mothers, their earnings often take a substantial, and permanent, hit that becomes larger with each additional child.
  • The question is, how do Social Security provisions address this motherhood penalty once women enter retirement?
  • The results show that Social Security offsets a substantial portion of the motherhood penalty, both for mothers in general and for each additional child.
  • Despite Social Security’s equalizing role, a motherhood penalty will remain in retirement without policy intervention, such as earnings credits for caregivers.
Senior man working at laptop at home
Senior man working at laptop at home
Author(s)
Headshot of Matthew S. Rutledge
Matthew S. Rutledge
Headshot of Alice Zulkarnain
Alice Zulkarnain
Headshot of Sara Ellen King
Sara Ellen King
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Citation

Rutledge, , Alice Zulkarnain and Sara Ellen King. 2021. "How Much Does Social Security Offset the Motherhood Penalty?" Issue in Brief 21-11. Chestnut Hill, MA: Center for Retirement Research at Boston College.

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Other Project Publications
  • Squared Away Blog
  • Working Paper
Associated Project(s)
  • BC17-10
Topics
Social Security
Publication
Issue Brief
Publication Number
IB#21-11
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