Social Security Survivor Benefits- The Thing Women Should Learn About

When Social Security was launched back in 1935 it was normal for women to remain inside home to raise the family. In most families the husband was the higher earner or the only earner in the household. Additionally, women statistically outlive men, especially if the wife is younger than the husband.

The coincidence of lower or no income and a longer life span meant many women found themselves in poverty when their husbands died, as their husband's Social Security retirement benefits ended at their death. The Social Security Board recognized the challenges that women face and have employed several adjustments to the system over the years to account for these requirements.

One of the first amendments to the Social Security system was to allow women to apply for benefits at 62 instead of waiting until 65 under the assumption that they were younger than their husbands and that they would want to retire simultaneously.

Then in 1939 two other categories of benefits were added: Social Security survivor benefits and dependent benefits (payable to the spouse and minor children of retired employees).

These changes transformed Social Security from a retirement program that only paid benefits to retired workers into a family-based system, where spouses and children may receive benefits of retired, disabled or deceased workers. This was a tremendous help to women who did not qualify for retirement benefits on their own, or who had considerably smaller benefits than their spouses.

Today, although it's not uncommon for women to earn as much or more than their spouses, they however may take time off to raise families, and they still statistically live longer than their spouses. In addition, the number of divorced women attaining retirement age is greater than it has ever been. Because of this, a lot of women still get Social Security spousal benefits or survivor benefits rather than benefits depending on their own work records.

So it's essential for women - no matter what their marital status is - to understand the spousal and survivor benefits open to them along with the retirement benefits so they can get the maximum benefits they are entitled to.

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