The New York Women’s Foundation (NYWF) and AARP New York released an analysis report on the issues concerning New York City’s women voters 50+, and hosted a panel discussion with five of New York City’s leading aging experts and advocates to talk about the issues important to women voters.

Report Highlights Major Issues Older Women Face; Top Concern is Affordable Housing

Panel Discussion Addressed Issues We Aren’t Hearing About from Candidates

The New York Women’s Foundation (NYWF) and AARP New York released an analysis report on the issues concerning New York City’s women voters 50+, and hosted a panel discussion with five of New York City’s leading aging experts and advocates to talk about the issues important to women voters.
NYWF was joined by NYC Department for the Aging Commissioner Lilliam Barrios-Paoli, AARP New York State Director Beth Finkel, Council for Senior Centers and Services Director of Public Policy Bobbie Sackman, and Grand Street Settlement Executive Director Margarita Rosa. The discussion was moderated by NYC Department for the Aging Deputy Commissioner Caryn Resnick.
AARP New York’s report highlights the key issues and concerns of a growing, yet often ignored population of older women. In New York City, women represent the majority of the 50+ population, and the proportion of women increases with age. Moreover, women are at a greater risk of poverty and economic insecurity in older age. The analysis report reveals that New York City’s women voters 50+ are less confident they’ll be able to retire, have experienced age discrimination at a higher rate than their male counterparts, and are most worried about the lack of affordable housing. Among women, the lack of affordable housing is the top voted “major” problem by a 15 percentage point margin.

To read the full report, click here

Key findings from the report include:
Affordable Housing
With about 60 percent of all 50+ NYC voters renting their homes, affordable housing is an issue of concern for many.

• 60 percent of female voters say they are extremely/very concerned about being able to pay the rent in the coming years.

Work and Retirement
Overall, about four in ten New York City voters age 50 and older are in the labor force, whether currently employed (one-third) or looking for work (one in ten). Furthermore, more than four in ten voters age 50 and older are concerned about workplace age discrimination.

• 53 percent of female voters in the labor force say retirement will be delayed due to financial reasons
• 47 percent of female voters are concerned about age discrimination at work.

Caregiving
Caregiving for elderly, aging, frail or disabled adult loved ones has been the responsibility for roughly four in ten New York City voters age 50 and older within the past five years. More than half of family caregivers say the impact of their caregiving puts an overwhelming strain on their quality of life including emotional and financial hardship.

• 41 percent of women voters have been a caregiver for an adult, family member or friend within the past five years.

And to find out more about the participant organizations, please visit their websites:
AARP New York
http://states.aarp.org/category/new-york/
New York City Department for the Aging
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dfta/html/home/home.shtml
Council of Senior Centers and Services
http://www.cscs-ny.org/
Grand Street Settlement
http://www.grandsettlement.org/
Discussion Take-Away’s
One of the many topics discussed was how to assist older populations with their finances. New York City Department of Consumer Affairs Deputy Commissioner Fran Freedman, who was in attendance, provided useful information about New York City’s free financial counseling program. To learn more about how you can access NYC’s Financial Empowerment Centers, visit http://www.nyc.gov/html/ofe/html/find/find.shtml.
Click here for infographics from AARP!