Califano v. Webster
United States Supreme Court
430 U.S. 313 (1977)
Relevant factsFree
Before a 1972 amendment, the Social Security Act let women exclude up to three more years of low earnings than men when calculating average monthly wage for old-age benefits, producing slightly higher benefits for similarly situated women. Webster (plaintiff) challenged this gender-based calculation as unconstitutional; the district court agreed and struck it down, and Califano (defendant) appealed.
IssueFree
Whether a Social Security Act provision allowing women to exclude more low-earning years than men from old-age benefits calculations violates the Equal Protection Clause.