New Deal for Old Age

About this book

"Nearly everyone now recognizes that inequality has transformed American life. What has largely escaped notice is that the hard-core inequality that has divided America is also undermining the Social Security retirement system. Thanks to unprecedented changes in lifespan, health, work options, and family structure, the experience of old age has become increasingly unequal. For the well-off, age 65 now represents late middle age. It isn't until age 80 or so that the average better-off American feels old or faces serious impediments to work and healthy leisure. By contrast, many low earners struggle to stay in the workforce to age 65, facing early disability, limited job options, and long-term unemployment. Social Security is badly out of step with these new realities. This book looks past competing slogans and stereotypes to consider the serious moral questions at stake in retirement policy. The author argues that justice between and within generations requires principled reforms that would maintain Social Security's universal promise while mitigating the new inequality of old age. Specifics include a progressive retirement age, a new phased retirement option, and a fairer replacement for the outdated spousal benefit."--Provided by publisher.