Disenfranchisement of the Social Security Program
Social Security Program in the United States refers to the benefits that will build a secure retirement. In the US, this program plays a significant role in protecting families. The program aims at providing universal coverage by spreading risk among the entire population. The US Social Security System has been facing criticism for disenfranchising various minority groups from the program. These groups are; the senior women, LGBT, and racial minorities.
For instance, the Social Security system in the US is known to be race-neutral. However, there instances that emerge where people who are non-whites are treated identically when receiving these benefits. The assumption that this benefit system takes is that individuals who are in the same or identical family/economic situation should also be treated identically. The issue of unfair treatment in the benefits they receive emerges because these minority groups have different life expectancies as well as earnings than their white counterparts. In 2012, statistics were showing that people of color were less likely to receive other benefits apart from Social Security for supplementation. Regarding people of color who were above 65 years, only 33 percent of African Americans, 32% Asians, and 19% of American Hispanics would receive other incomes from retirement benefits compared to 44% of white Americans (Hudson, 2014).
People of color are known to have a lower life expectancy than white Americans; therefore, they are more likely to have disability cases before the age of 64, and this case applies mostly to Africa Americans (Wolfe, 2012). This phenomenon would mean that an African American might entirely depend on Social Security more than the retirement income for his/her entire life. Therefore, the program cannot adequately cater to their disability and income needs.
References
Hudson, W. E. (2014). A Citizen’s Guide to Deficits and Debt: The Politics of Taxing, Spending, and Borrowing. Routledge.
Wolfe, J. S. (2012). Civil Justice Reform in Social Security Adjudications. Administrative Law Review, 379-439.