•March 2, 2016•

By Gerald Tilley
Social Security District Manager in Decatur, IL

March is Women’s History Month — a time to focus not just on the past but on the challenges women continue to face in the 21st century.

Ida May Fuller, born September 6, 1874, was the first American to receive a monthly Social Security benefit check. Along with Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins — who was instrumental in the creation of the Social Security Act — Ida May Fuller was one of the first famous women of Social Security. She received the check, amounting to $22.54, January 31, 1940. Back then, people understood that she would be one of millions who would be positively affected by retirement benefits.

Seventy-six years after that first check, Social Security continues to play a vital role in the lives of women. With longer life expectancies than men, women tend to live more years in retirement and have a greater chance of exhausting other sources of income. With the national average life expectancy for women in the United States rising, many women will have decades to enjoy retirement. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a girl born today can expect to live more than 80 years. As a result, experts generally agree that if women want to ensure that their retirement years are comfortable, they need to plan early and wisely.

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