Present Condition About Social Security Spouse And Survivor Benefits
When Social Security was established back in 1935 it was typical for women to stay home to raise the family. In a large number of families the husband was the major earner or the only earner in the household. In addition, women statistically outlive men, especially if the wife is younger than the husband.
The combination of lower or no earnings and a longer life span meant many women got themselves in poverty at the time their husbands expired, as their husband's Social Security retirement benefits ended at their death. The Social Security Board recognized the challenges that women face and have implemented several changes to the system over the years to account for these needs.
One of the first amendments to the Social Security plan was to enable 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 at the same time.
Then in 1939 two new categories of benefits were added: Social Security survivor benefits and dependent benefits (to be paid to the spouse and minor kids of retired employees).
These changes transformed Social Security from a retirement program that only paid benefits to retired workers into a family-based program, where spouses and children could receive benefits of retired, disabled or deceased workers. This was an incredible help to women who were not eligible for retirement benefits on their own, or who had much smaller benefits than their spouses.
Today, although it's not uncommon for women to earn as much or more than their husbands, they still may take time off to raise families, and they still typically live longer than their spouses. Moreover, the number of divorced women attaining retirement age is greater than it has ever been. Because of this, many women still receive Social Security spousal benefits or survivor benefits instead of benefits based on their own job period.
This is why it's important for women - no matter what their marital status is - to understand the spousal and survivor benefits available to them in addition to the retirement benefits so they can get the highest benefits they are eligible to.
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