Widows Waiting to Wed? Marriage and Economic Incentives in Social Security Widow Benefits

Widows Waiting to Wed? Marriage and Economic Incentives in Social Security Widow Benefits
Author: Michael J. Brein
Publisher: BiblioGov
Total Pages: 50
Release: 2013-06
Genre:
ISBN: 9781289047450

In this paper we focus on an age restriction for remarriage in the Social Security system to determine if individuals respond to economic incentives for marriage. Aged widow(er) benefits are paid by the federal government to persons whose deceased spouses worked in Social Security covered employment. A widow(er) is eligible to receive benefits if she or he is at least age 60. If a widow(er) remarries before age 60, she or he forfeits the benefit and, therefore, faces a marriage penalty. Under current law, there is no penalty if the remarriage occurs at 60 years of age or later. The Social Security rules on remarriage have changed over time. Only since 1979 have widow(er)s been allow to marry at or after age 60 and not face reductions in benefit amounts. We investigate whether the age-60 remarriage rule affects the timing of marriage and whether the elimination of the marriage penalty in 1979 encouraged widows 60 or older to marry. For this study, we primarily use Vital Statistics data from the National Center for Health Statistics. Our major findings are as follows. In 1979, there was an increase in the marriage rate of widows 60 or older. This suggests many widows in this age group chose not to marry until the marriage penalty they faced was removed. Also, in the post-1979 period, there was a drop in marriage rates immediately prior to age 60 and an increase after this age. We do not observe this pattern in the period before 1979, and we do not observe it for divorced women, who generally are not subject to the age-60 remarriage rule. These findings suggest that the age-60 remarriage rule affects the timing of marriage and has the most influence on women who are very close to age 60.

Research Handbook on the Economics of Family Law

Research Handbook on the Economics of Family Law
Author: Lloyd R. Cohen
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 321
Release: 2011-01-01
Genre: Law
ISBN: 0857930648

Those not learned in the economic arts believe that economics is either solely or essentially concerned with commercial relations. And, so it was, originally. Then, in the second half of the 20th century, economists began applying their minimalist but sturdy tools to other human activities such as marriage, child-bearing, crime, religion and social groups. In this spirit, the Research Handbook on the Economics of Family Law gives us a series of original essays by distinguished scholars in economics, law or both. The essays represent a variety of approaches to the field. Many contain extensive surveys of the literature with respect to the particular question they address. Some employ empirical economics, others are more narrowly legal. They have in common one thing: each scholar employs a core economic tool or insight to shed light on some aspect of family law and social institutions broadly understood. Topics covered include: divorce, child support, infant feeding, abortion access, prostitution, the decline in marriage, birth control and incentives for partnering. This comprehensive and enlightening volume will be a valuable reference for those interested in law and economics generally and family law in particular.

New Evidence on Earnings and Benefit Claims Following Changes in the Retirement Earnings Test in 2000

New Evidence on Earnings and Benefit Claims Following Changes in the Retirement Earnings Test in 2000
Author: Jae Song
Publisher:
Total Pages: 60
Release: 2006
Genre: Old age pensions
ISBN:

Provides estimates of the effects of removing the earnings test, for persons aged 65-69. Uses a Social Security Administration (SSA) data set that covers the period from four years before and after its introduction in 2000. Examines implications for the labour force participation rate near 65 and beyond.

Shifting the Center

Shifting the Center
Author: Susan J. Ferguson
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Total Pages: 632
Release: 2022-11-21
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1071847643

Shifting the Center: Understanding Contemporary Families, Sixth Edition is a popular anthology of readings used in Sociology of Family and of Marriages/Families/Intimate Relationship courses. Editor Susan J. Ferguson brings together carefully selected pieces written by leading family researchers and drawn from a variety of scholarly sources, including articles from the leading family journals and excerpts from several classic book-length studies. She also provides background and context to help students connect the topics in the readings to the broader themes in the study of family sociology. The table of contents follows the same scope and sequence as the leading family survey texts.