Women social security beneficiaries aged 62 or older, 1960-83.

The participation of women in the labor force has increased substantially during the past half century. In 1930, the 10 million women workers represented only 24 percent of all women and 22 percent of the total labor force (table 1). By 1957, the number of women workers had doubled and their labor-force participation had increased to 37 percent. In 1983, 48 million women were in the labor force-they represented 53 percent of all women and 43 percent of the total labor force. During the period 1930-83, the number of working-age women increased by 108 percent and the number of women in the labor force rose by 366 percent. This note briefly examines the effects of this increased participation in the labor force on the types of social security benefits received by women aged 62 or older.’