In a recently released report titled Women and Social Security: Benefit Types and Eligibility, the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) took a look at the numbers to determine who is eligible for Social Security and what types of benefits they receive.

Social Security benefits are not just available to retired workers. Typically, benefits are extended to the spouse and/or families of retired and deceased workers. This is especially important for women, who have traditionally spent more time out of the workforce than their husbands.

This report describes how women can be eligible for different types of Social Security benefits – retired worker, disabled worker, and survivor benefits – not only as a worker, but also as a spouse or a family member. It also shows how Social Security provides a critical income source for women at different ages as well as for children by examining data on current beneficiaries.

Read the full report here.