As people age and leave the workplace, their income often decreases. While many among the elderly are financially secure, others are impoverished and need assistance. As the number of elderly in America grows, the issue of elderly poverty might seriously affect the nation.

Many people assert that American society needs to address the issue of elderly poverty, especially that of older women and minorities. In an article for the American Prospect, David Callahan, a fellow for the Century Foundation cites Census Bureau statistics showing that in 1997, 3.3 million Americans age sixty-five and older, or 10.5 percent of the aging population, lived below the poverty line. Approximately three-quarters of the elderly poor are women, and African-Americans comprise 24 percent of impoverished senior citizens. Women are disproportionately poor because the average annual income for an elderly woman in 1997 was $14,320, compared to $25,669 for elderly men. Although...