NB24-08: The Perceived Influence of Race and Gender in Work History, Work Attitudes, Economic Resources, and Health on Black Women's Retirement

Social security is essential especially for Black women, as we think about their triple oppression of gendered racism and ageism with the wealth pay gap. Historically in the U.S., retirement favored White people because agricultural and domestic workers were excluded from Social Security old age pensions (Quadagno, 1984) and Black families generally did not have the same financial assets of White people (Oliver and Shapiro, 2013). Moreover, one study found that Black women are significantly less likely to retire, compared to White men (Hogan and Perrucci, 2007). Black women are disadvantaged in both employment and retirement income because, like Black men, they lack access to the resources and family wealth, unlike white people (Bielby and Bielby, 1992). Additionally, one study found that older Black women in retirement faced problems with housing as they were unable to find suitable and affordable housing (Perkins, 1994). Despite these inequities, Black women can successfully and financially prepare themselves for retirement. Though studies have explored retirement experiences of Black women, few studies have qualitatively explored Black women’s experiences with retirement, from a psychosocial perspective. So, the main aims of this project are to:
● Examine statistics and current literature to shed light on Black women’s retirement related decisions and experiences.
● Explore Black women’s perceptions to shed light on their experiences with retirement and their psychological well-being.
● Mentor Black women collegiate scholars. Spelman College is a historically Black college and university (HBCU) for women. Dr. Dickens’s research lab named the GRACE (gender, race, and cultural empowerment) lab, trains Spelman students in conducting psychological research and prepares them for graduate school. Spelman students will work with Dr. Dickens on this project.