The changing economic status of disabled women, 1982–1991 Trends and their determinants

Abstract

This study provides an assessment of the intertemporal economic well-being of a representative sample of women who began receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) in 1980-81. We compare their economic circumstances over the 1982-1991 period with those of disabled men who also began receiving SSDI in those years and with those of a matched sample of nondisabled women who had sufficient work experience for benefit eligibility should they have become disabled. In 1982, the new SSDI women beneficiaries were a relatively poor segment of U.S. society: one quarter of them lived in poverty and 48 percent had incomes below 150 percent of the poverty line. As of 1991, over one-half of these disabled women lived in families with income below 150 percent of the poverty line. Social Security benefits to disabled women have played an important, and growing, role in sustaining economic status. Nevertheless, the level of well-being of these women lies substantially below that of the comparison groups. We statistically relate the poverty status of these new female recipients to sociodemographic factors that would be expected to contribute to lower levels of well-being, and we simulate the effect of Social Security benefits in reducing poverty and replacing earnings. We suggest a number of SSDI-related policy changes that could, at low cost, reduce poverty among the poorest women.

The impact of gender and disability on the economic well‐being of disabled women in the United Kingdom: A longitudinal study between 2009 and 2014

“…Although both disabled men and women are subject to discrimination based on their disability, the relationship between economic marginalization and disability is likely intensified for women (Barile, ; Haveman, Holden, Wolfe, Smith, & Wilson, ), although recent empirical research on this issue is scant. Disabled women are less likely to receive the health and rehabilitative care they need to remain economically or socially independent, and they face reduced access to education, employment, and social inclusion compared with disabled men (Leonard Cheshire Disability, ).…”

Disability, gender, and the British labour market

“…Haveman et al (2000) find that disabled men fare somewhat better than disabled women when comparing the size of family income Stapleton and Burkhauser (2003). using the US Current Population Survey found that mean household income of working-age men without disabilities increased by 12.6% between 1989, a peak year in the 1980s business cycle, and 2000, a peak year in the 1990s business cycle, compared to a fall of 2.9% over the same period for men with disabilities.…”

Income Poverty and Material Hardship among U.S. Women with Disabilities

“…Women with disabilities are disproportionately overrepresented among those living in poverty (Haveman, Holden, Wolfe, Smith, & Wilson, 2000). Jans and Stoddard (1999) found that over one third of women with disabilities, and 41% of women with severe disabilities lived in poverty, which were among the highest rates for any group.…”