The Implications of Marital History Change on Women's Eligibility for Social Security Wife and Widow Benefits, 1990–2009
by Howard M. Iams and Christopher R. Tamborini
Social Security Bulletin, Vol. 72, No. 2, 2012
Social Security Bulletin, Vol. 72, No. 2, 2012
Type of benefit and dual entitlement status | 1960 | 1970 | 1975 | 1980 | 1985 | 1990 | 1995 | 2000 | 2005 | 2009 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Retired-worker only benefit | 38.7 | 42.1 | 42.3 | 41.0 | 38.5 | 36.9 | 36.2 | 38.0 | 41.4 | 45.1 |
Spouse or widow benefit of some type | ||||||||||
Spouse only | 32.8 | 22.4 | 19.6 | 17.6 | 16.4 | 15.3 | 14.3 | 12.9 | 11.4 | 10.0 |
Widow only | 23.4 | 26.8 | 26.1 | 25.4 | 24.9 | 24.3 | 23.6 | 21.5 | 19.3 | 17.0 |
Dually entitled spouse | 2.4 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 6.2 | 8.7 | 10.4 | 11.5 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 |
Dually entitled widow | 2.1 | 5.0 | 7.4 | 9.6 | 11.5 | 13.0 | 14.4 | 15.6 | 16.0 | 15.4 |
SOURCE: Social Security Administration, Master Beneficiary Record (SSA 2011a, Table 5.A14). | ||||||||||
NOTES: All data for 2005 and dual-entitlement data for 1995 and 2000 are based on a 10 percent sample of administrative records. All other years are 100 percent data. Benefits exclude special age-72 beneficiaries and disabled adult children. They include disabled workers. Widow-only beneficiaries include disabled widows and mothers. Totals may not sum to 100 because of rounding. |
Race/ethnicity | Young adult (30–39) | Middle age (40–49) | Late middle age (50–59) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1990 | 2008 | 1990 | 2008 | 1990 | 2008 | |
All | 24.0 | 29.8 | 12.9 | 22.0 | 7.5 | 16.2 |
White | 21.5 | 26.0 | 10.9 | 19.6 | 6.3 | 13.8 |
Black | 42.4 | 56.7 | 24.3 | 40.9 | 13.4 | 33.9 |
Hispanic | 23.1 | 26.3 | 19.5 | 20.2 | 10.9 | 17.3 |
SOURCE: Authors' calculations using 1990 and 2008 SIPP (Wave 2) data. | ||||||
NOTE: Data are weighted. |
Birthplace | Young adult (30–39) | Middle age (40–49) | Late middle age (50–59) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1990 | 2008 | 1990 | 2008 | 1990 | 2008 | |
US born | 29.3 | 31.3 | 23.2 | 28.3 | 7.2 | 20.6 |
Foreign born | 17.3 | 21.6 | 16.5 | 12.8 | 15.3 | 14.1 |
SOURCE: Authors' calculations using 1990 and 2008 SIPP (Wave 2) data. | ||||||
NOTE: Data are weighted. |