U.S. public pension plans play a significant role in leveling overall retirement wealth and overall family wealth by race and gender, a new report from the National Institute of Retirement Security said.

Lawmakers and a panel of experts said the U.S. retirement system works well for some but is leaving others behind, and discussed ways to close the savings gap in a hearing Thursday before the Senate Special Committee on Aging.

“The employer-sponsored retirement system leaves out many groups of workers and jobs, in a manner that disproportionately impacts women and people of color, particularly Blacks and Latinos,” Nari Rhee, director the retirement security program at the University of California at Berkeley, said in her written testimony.