(over 1 million) drew an average of $50 per month; the 3.3 million retired men workers received an average payment of about $67. An analysis of the more than half a million awards made during JanuaryJune 1955, which reflect the results of the liberalized benefit formula under the 1954 amendments to the Social Security Act, shows that the monthly average was almost $57 for retired women workers and was nearly $77 for men. Less than $40 a month was received by 29 percent of the women workers and 12 percent of the men; $70 or more by 29 percent of the women workers and 66 percent of the men. Women have been less steadily employed than men as full-time workers, and they tend to be employed on jobs that pay less than men's jobs. As a result, their average earnings (on which benefits are based, computed over the period specified by law) are less. Women dependents and survivors of insured workers receive benefits which are specified proportions of the benefit rate of insured workers-one-half for wives (retirement benefit) and three-fourths for widows (survivor benefit). In addition to those receiving old-age and survivors insurance payments, about 700,000 women aged 65 and over were working in mid1955, and another 900,000, who were not working, had husbands who were employed. Some 700,000 were receiving payments under other public retirement systems, such as State and local retirement systems, the veterans' pension program, and the like. About 12 million older women (1.3 million fewer than those receiving old-age and survivors insurance benefits) received old-age assistance financed from State and Federal funds. Even though some women receive income from more than one of these sources, there remain 1.4 million women aged 65 and over with no income from any public retirement system or old-age assistance. These women either had income derived from other sources, such as personal funds or local relief, or had no money income and were in institutions or were being supported by relatives or in other ways.

Young widows with children under 18 years of age also share in the protection of old-age and survivors insurance. At the end of 1955 some 292,000 widows under 65 with young children, and over 1 million children were receiving survivor benefits based on the employment record of the deceased husband or father. Among these survivor families, a widow under 65 with two young children averaged a monthly benefit of $135. About one-sixth of all beneficiaries were young children.

By the close of 1956, the old-age and survivors insurance program had completed 20 years of operation, so that a major proportion of the working population had been able to build up credits under it. A series of recent amendments have improved the protection afforded

by the program. The 1954 amendments extended the coverage of the program, increased benefit amounts, and provided for protecting the benefit rights of workers who suffer long-term total disability.1

It was estimated that, by 1956, over 90 percent of all mothers and children had survivorship protection in case the family bread-winner should die. Forty-five percent of all women 65 years of age and over were eligible for old-age and survivors insurance benefits. Taking into account other Government systems-State and local, Federal Civil Service, Armed Forces, etc.-about two-thirds of all women 65 years of age and over were either working or drawing a Government retirement benefit on their own account, or were the wives of men who were working or drawing such benefits.

1 An Act of Congress approved Aug. 1, 1956, lowers the age at which women may receive benefits from 65 to 62 years and makes other important changes in Old-Age and Survivors Insurance provisions. A forthcoming Women's Bureau pamphlet, "What Social Security Means to Women," discusses these in detail.

3

WOMEN'S EDUCATION AND

VOCATIONAL TRAINING

Education Completed by Women

The average number of years of schooling completed was 10.4 years among women 25 years of age and over, according to the most recent report by the Bureau of the Census (1952). Forty-five percent had attended high school but not college; 13 percent had some college education, including 6 percent who completed 4 or more years of college. Women were about half of all persons with some college education, almost 45 percent of those with 4 or more years of college.

The average man in the population had slightly less formal education than the average woman, and a somewhat larger proportion of men than women had no high-school education. However, slightly larger proportions of men than of women had attended college 1 to 3 years, and also a larger proportion had completed 4 years of college. Table 1 shows further details.

Table 1.—YEARS OF SCHOOL COMPLETED, By Women and Men, 1952
[Persons 25 years of age and over]

10. 4

9.7

Median years of school completed___

Source: U. S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports, P-20, No. 45.
Educational Attainment and Occupations of Women Workers

Employed women with college training are found predominantly in professional and technical occupations. Seven out of every 10 women workers who were graduated from college found employment in these occupations, and 3 out of every 10 of those who received 1

Note: Women 25 years of age and over.

Source: U. S. Bureau of the Census, Decennial census, 1950.

Figure 4

to 3 years of college training were also professional or technical workers, according to 1950 census figures. A number of women college graduates (about 15 percent of those employed) were clerical workers, and about 35 percent of women workers with some college training were in this occupational group. Thus, a third of the women workers who did not complete college were clerical workers compared with less than one-sixth of those who were college graduates.

For women workers who had finished high school, the clerical occupations offered the greatest opportunity. About 4 of every 10 were clerical employees and about 1 of 10 was employed in each of three other occupational groups; namely, as service workers, such as waitresses, practical nurses, and hotel workers; as operatives; and as sales workers.

Women workers who received some high-school training, but did not graduate, found employment in large proportions in clerical, operative, sales and service occupations. Clerical and operative occupations accounted for almost half of these women. All service and sales occupations employed about two-fifths.

Approximately two-thirds of the women workers with an eighthgrade education or less were employed as operatives or service workers (including private household). The largest proportion were operatives.

Table 2 shows the distribution of women 25 years of age and over in selected occupation groups by educational attainment.

Table 2.-OCCUPATION GROUPS OF WOMEN, BY EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, 1950 [Women 25 years of age and over, percent distribution 1]

1 Percents (based on number reporting occupation) may not add to 100, due to rounding. Source: U. S. Bureau of the Census. 1950 Census of Population, PE, No. 5 B.