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Marital History, Race, and Social Security Spouse and Widow Benefit Eligibility in the United States

U.S. Social Security Administration

Howard M. Iams

U.S. Social Security Administration

Kevin Whitman

U.S. Social Security Administration

Large-scale changes in American family structures over the past decades have important implications for the retirement experiences of women. In this study, the authors use a restricted-use file of the Marital History Module of the U.S. Census Bureau's Survey of Income and Program Participation to investigate changes in the marital histories of women aged 40 to 69 years between 1990 and 2004, with a focus on outcomes relevant for Social Security spouse and widow benefit eligibility. Multinomial and binary logistic regression analyses show significant changes in women's marital patterns since 1990, with more substantial shifts occurring among recent cohorts. Due to downward trends in marriage, the authors find a modest decline in Social Security spouse and widow benefit eligibility in 2004, particularly among Black women born toward the end of the baby boom generation.

Key Words: Social Security • women • marriage • race

This version was published on September 1, 2009

Research on Aging, Vol. 31, No. 5, 577-605 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0164027509337196


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