Dear Editor:
Social Security recently unveiled its new website, “For Women,” which provides basic information on retirement, survivors and disability benefits, Supplemental Security Income benefits and Medicare benefits pertinent to women. The information helps women learn about Social Security benefits and how they are affected in their varied roles as workers, wives, housewives, mothers, grandmothers, employers, widows or divorcees.
By simply selecting one or more categories that best describe your stage in life, you can obtain information and learn about resources concerning:
How to change your name; how marriage affects your benefits; how to get your baby’s Social Security number; family protection; what happens when your marital status changes; your rights as a divorced wife and special employment situations.
Although Social Security benefits and coverage are the same for both men and women, there are some situations that women are more likely to encounter because of their different work patterns and lifestyles. As a group, women live longer than men, earn less, are the primary family caregivers and rely on Social Security benefits for most of their retirement income.
“For Women” also allows a woman to link to other federal agency websites for women, such as the Department of Labor’s “Women’s Bureau,” the Department of Health and Human Service’s “Women’s Health” and the White House’s “Federal Programs and Resources for Women and Families.”
So, whether you are young, middle-aged or elderly, whether you are currently working, have worked in the past or never worked at all, you should be sure to visit “For Women” at www.ssa.gov/women.
Dave Ryder
Social Security Office