Reforming a Breadwinner Welfare State: Gender, Race, Class, and Social Security Reform

A key challenge facing western welfare states is that they offset income risks faced by those in breadwinner families. Social Security is an excellent example. It best protects individuals with lengthy work histories or individuals who get married, stay married, and are never employed. Most women fit neither model. Thus, I analyze “women-friendly” approaches (benefit improvements for parents or those divorced) and a social democratic approach (minimum benefit) to reform. Benefits disconnected from marital status (parent and minimum benefits) are most effective at insuring against the new risks women face. Women-friendly approaches, however, do tend to reinforce inequality among women. Ultimately, my results emphasize that analyses must account for the intersection of gender, race, and class to understand how the state shapes stratification.