Understanding The Sociodemographic Correlates of Early Social Security Retirement

Understanding The Sociodemographic Correlates of Early Social Security Retirement
Erica D. Robinson, Ph.D.
The University of Texas at Arlington, 2025
Supervising Professor: Rachel Voth Schrag
Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a nationally representative
longitudinal survey of Americans aged 50 and older, this study examines the factors influencing
the early receipt of Social Security retirement benefits (e.g., attaining benefits before reaching
the Social Security Administration’s full retirement age) among women. Guided by
intersectionality theory and the Intersectionality-Based Policy Analysis (IBPA) framework,
logistic regression models were used to examine how marital status, having ever had children,
educational attainment, self-reported health, and race/ethnicity influenced early Social Security
retirement benefit receipt. Because the timing of benefit claims affects both monthly and lifetime
Social Security income, understanding these patterns is critical. Results indicate that women
reporting excellent/very good health and those with higher educational attainment were
significantly less likely to claim benefits early. These associations were particularly pronounced
among Black/African American and White women. In contrast, marital status and having ever
had children were not significantly associated with early benefit attainment. Although interaction
effects between health and other sociodemographic variables were not statistically significant,
directional trends suggest that healthier, never-married mothers may be less inclined to attain
Social Security retirement benefits early. These findings underscore the importance of health and
education in shaping retirement decisions and highlight how their influence varies across racial
and ethnic groups. By applying an intersectional lens to quantitative analysis, this study
contributes to the growing literature on retirement behavior and calls for Social Security policy
reforms that better reflect the diverse life experiences of women.