It’s true what you’ve heard: women are different from men.

Look at a snapshot of our economy. Although times are changing, women still are less likely than men to join the work force (which doesn’t mean they’re working any less hard at home, they’re just not getting paid for it). Women who do go to work are generally paid less than men, and they’re less likely to have any kind of pension plan. They’re far more likely to leave employment for long stretches, to raise kids—often as single mothers—or to care for aging parents. And, as a rule, they live longer than men.

These facts have far-reaching consequences. Women are less likely to be able to accumulate savings while working (or, of course, while out of the work force). But because of their greater longevity, they’re more likely to need income for decades after their earning years draw to a close. And in old age they’re likely to end up alone, with few resources to draw upon.

That’s where Social Security comes in.

What Women Get Compare Social Security for women today versus what it would be with private accounts