Social Security Gap: Why Women Get $400 Less Per Month Than Men
For millions of retirees, Social Security benefits are a primary source of retirement income, or at least a way to subsidize their fixed income. Yet, even though everyone pays into the system in roughly equal amounts, not all retirees receive the same monthly check. One of the biggest disparities exists between men and women, and that is for more reasons than just the wage gap, as it can total more than $400 less in benefits per month.
Yes, the more you earn working, the more you pay into the Social Security system, and the higher your benefit. However, two retirees can work the same number of hours and years but still have drastically different Social Security checks.
Understanding why women receive lower Social Security payments than men is essential for retirement planning, especially as women tend to live longer and rely more heavily on these benefits.
The Average Social Security Check for Women vs. Men
This is problematic for several reasons. First, women's lower earnings and shorter work histories make it more difficult for them to save for retirement on their own. Second, women typically live longer on average, so they need to save more than their male counterparts to maintain the same lifestyle.
The current average Social Security retirement check for women is estimated to be approximately $1,928 per month, following a 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). Overall, the average retired worker benefit is around $2,071, yet women often receive lower amounts due to lower lifetime earnings. The annual total averages about $23,136.
However, as of early 2026, the average monthly Social Security benefit for retired men is approximately 19% to 23% more than what women receive, which is significantly higher than the overall average due to higher lifetime earnings. For example, at age 67, the average is roughly $2,393 per month. Payments vary based on retirement age, with higher amounts for those delaying benefits until age 70 and lower amounts for those who retire early.
Given just those two estimates, that's a difference of $465 per month. Over a 20-year retirement, it comes out to approximately $111,600 less, give or take, varying by age.
2 Big Reasons Women Receive Lower Social Security Benefits
The good news is that the Social Security benefits gap between men and women has been slowly shrinking over the past few decades. In May 2000, women received less than 77% of the average man's benefit.
By 2026, that figure had improved to roughly 81%, which is by no means a perfect score and can be financially detrimental to single women living off of benefits alone, but still a slight bump in the right direction. Here are a few key reasons why the U.S. still sees this discrepancy in Social Security checks based on gender alone.
1. The Gender Pay Gap
The most significant reason women receive smaller Social Security checks is the gender pay gap. Because Social Security benefits are based on lifetime earnings, lower wages translate directly into lower retirement benefits.
According to the most recent data from the end of last year, women earned about 83 to 85 cents for every dollar earned by men. Although the gap has narrowed over time, decades of lower pay still weigh heavily on women's retirement income. However, the gap is narrower for younger workers with estimates showing closer to 95 cents per dollar, but widens significantly again with age, experience and for women of color.
2. Career Interruptions and Caregiving
Women are far more likely than men to step away from the workforce to care for children or other family members, such as aging parents. These career breaks given over to free labor often result in years of little or no income, which are factored into Social Security's benefit calculation.
Because Social Security averages earnings over your top 35 earning years, any year with zero or very low income pulls down the final benefit amount. Even a few years out of the workforce can significantly reduce monthly checks.
Lower wages, part-time work and fewer years of employment all contribute to reduced lifetime earnings. This double whammy makes it harder for women to save independently for retirement while simultaneously lowering their Social Security benefits.
Vance Cariaga contributed to the reporting for this article.
This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.
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