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- DictionarySo·cial se·cu·ri·ty/ˌsōSHəl səˈkyo͝orədē/
noun
- 1. any government system that provides monetary assistance to people with an inadequate or no income: "she was living on social security"
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What is Social Security?
Getting Social Security benefits if you are living outside the U.S. Most U.S. citizens can get Social Security benefits while visiting or living outside the U.S. Find out if you qualify, how to apply, and who to contact to get help. Learn about Social Security, including retirement and disability benefits, how to get or replace your Social ...
Social Security provides assistance in changing your name and provides Spousal, Survivor, and Family benefits to certain spouses, widows, and divorced spouses and widows based on factors such as age, length of the marriage, and the presence of a disability. Social Security provides financial protection for our nation’s people, supporting ...
- Overview
- The rationale for social security
government program
Written byBrian Abel-Smith
Brian Abel-Smith
Professor of Social Administration, London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London, 1965–91. Author of The Poor and the Poorest and others.
Fact-checked byThe Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Because general social security schemes based on compulsory insurance did not come into being until the last two decades of the 19th century, it has often been argued that social security in its modern form has been a response to industrialization, which caused large numbers of people to become dependent for their security solely on earnings from employment. Indeed many families became dependent on one male earner and thus on his capacity to find work, to undertake it, and to remain in it. Moreover, industrialization led to the migration of people toward centres of work, thus separating them from the support given by the wider family. In addition, the development of compulsory education prolonged the period during which children were dependent on their parents; later the system of enforced retirement created dependency at the other end of life. This situation is contrasted with an often idealized image of the extended rural family with access to land, on which both husband and wife worked, children started work early, and old people continued to work until they became too frail or disabled to do so. On the basis of this oversimplification, some theorists have proposed that social security developed out of a need peculiar to industrial societies and that there is less need or no need for social security programs in the rural areas of developing countries today.
It is true that support from the extended family, often enforced by local custom and religious beliefs, contributes to the survival of peasant societies. But by no means do all the rural populations of developing countries have access to land, and many people work for wages in agricultural estates and mines. Moreover, peasant farmers are subject to formidable risks of crop failure, quite apart from the risks associated with the shorter average life span that characterizes developing countries. Although there is a need for social security in rural societies, the importance of specific risks may vary from region to region. Moreover, the irregular incomes in cash and kind emanating from agriculture do not lend themselves to the payment of regular social insurance contributions. Thus, what may be lacking in rural societies is the economic and administrative base for providing such security. Furthermore, provision for sickness and old age is not generally seen as the highest priority by peasant farmers overwhelmed by problems of weather and debt.
Also for the fifth consecutive year, Noah took the second slot for boys, and Emma for girls. Only one new name appeared in... Stay on top of the latest Social Security news for the media, advocate community, and the public. Official website of the U.S. Social Security Administration.
Feb 8, 2024 · Social Security is funded with a payroll tax on workers and their employers. You pay tax on your earnings up to $168,600 (in 2024), and the rate varies depending on your employment status: If you ...
Social Security is the foundation of economic security for millions of Americans—retirees, disabled persons, and families of retired, disabled or deceased workers. About 169 million Americans pay Social Security taxes and 61 million collect monthly benefits. About one family in four receives income from Social Security. Social Security is largely a pay-as-you-go program. This means that ...
As you work and pay taxes, you earn Social Security “credits.”. In 2024, you earn 1 credit for each $1,730 in earnings — up to a maximum of 4 credits per year. The amount of money needed to earn 1 credit usually goes up every year. Most people need 40 credits (10 years of work) to be eligible for benefits.
