MinnEESI Update

The Minnesota Women’s Consortium, the state lead of the Minnesota Elder Economic Security Initiative (MinnEESI), has been busy these past few months planning a forum on the economic security of older women in the state. This week all of their hard work came to fruition and the Minnesota Women’s Consortium co-hosted the forum with the Office on the Economic Status of Women (OESW). Advocates and experts in aging from across the St. Paul area participated in a morning discussion on the findings of a new OESW report.

Findings from the report include:

• Among retired workers, monthly benefits averaged just $1,001 for women.
• Over half of U.S. women workers age 65 and over earned less than $35,000 in 2007. Just one-third of their male counterparts earned less than $35,000.
• According to the Minnesota Elder Index, median income for older women is just $12,691.

For more information about the event and the findings, read the full report and press release. You can also listen to the audio version of the forum.



- Alisha Howell
Communications & Program Coordinator
Elder Economic Security Initiative