[...] the actuaries suggest the gap is larger. Why? Because they didn't adjust for the taxes on Social Security benefits paid by higher-income retirees. [...] that 94-cent figure depends on Social Security paying full benefits after the trust fund is empty. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, only 23.4 percent of all married couples had a single earner in 2007. The difference is the longer life expectancy of women - they pay in the same amount but can expect to collect benefits longer. If benefits are cut when the Social Security trust fund is empty, the same worker will receive only 75 cents on the dollar. In 1985, low-wage workers received about 2.25 times the money's worth of the highest-wage workers. For the kids who are 11 today, the low-wage worker will receive three times the value of the highest-paid workers.