Women’s History Month & Social Security

Women’s History Month & Social Security

Social Security & You
By Brandon P. Smith, Social Security Public Affairs Specialist

Each March, we celebrate Women’s History Month. It is a time to reflect on the achievements of women.  Social Security has served a vital role in the lives of women for more than 85 years.

Women have longer average life expectancies than men, which means they live more years in retirement and have a greater chance of exhausting other sources of income. It’s important for women to plan early and wisely for retirement.

Our retirement pages at ssa.gov/retirement provide detailed information about how life events can affect a woman’s Social Security retirement benefits. These events may include marriage, widowhood, divorce, self-employment, government service, and other life or career changes.

Your earnings history will determine your future benefits, so we encourage you to verify that the information we have is correct. You can create your personal my Social Security account at ssa.gov/myaccount and review your earnings history. If you find an error in your earnings record, it is important to get it corrected so you receive the benefits you earned when you retire. Our publication, How to Correct Your Social Security Earnings Record at ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10081.pdf, provides you with details on how to make a correction.  You also can view your Social Security Statement on your my Social Security account, for estimates of future benefits and other important planning information.

If you would like to learn more about how we can help women plan for retirement, check out our online booklet, Social Security: What Every Woman Should Know. You can find it at ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10127.pdf.  Please share this information with family and friends.

About the author

Brandon P. Smith is the author of Northeast Ohio Thrive’s Social Security & You blog. He is a Social Security public affairs specialist with the Social Security Administration, based in Cleveland. A Cleveland native, he joined the SSA in 2003. He is the primary contact for media relations, outreach, and presentations for the agency in Cuyahoga, Lake, Lorain, and Geauga counties. In addition to other communications awards, Brandon received a Deputy Commissioner Citation from Social Security’s Office of Communication in 2015 for his outstanding public affairs support of the agency’s national communication initiatives.

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