--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The 1935 Social Security Act established…" description: "\"The 1935 Social Security Act established 65 as the age of eligibility for payouts. But welfare state politics quickly becomes a bidding war, enriching ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/690/george-will-1177_age_the-1935-social-security-act-established_1922232.png" --- # The 1935 Social Security Act established 65 as the age of… ![“The 1935 Social Security Act established 65 as the age of eligibility for payouts. But welfare state politics quickly becomes a bidding war, enriching the menu of benefits, so in 1956 Congress entitled women to collect benefits at 62, extending the entitlement to men in 1961.” quote by George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/690/george-will-1177_age_the-1935-social-security-act-established_1922232.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/690/george-will-1177_age_the-1935-social-security-act-established_1922232.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/690/george-will-1177_age_the-1935-social-security-act-established_1922232.png) > “The 1935 Social Security Act established 65 as the age of eligibility for payouts. But welfare state politics quickly becomes a bidding war, enriching the menu of benefits, so in 1956 Congress entitled women to collect benefits at 62, extending the entitlement to men in 1961.” [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The Social Security Act set retirement at 65, later lowered for women and then men, reflecting political bargaining over benefits. **In simple terms:** Retirement age shifted due to politics. Key Takeaway Recognize policy’s impact on life planning. Themes policy social security gender equity Mood informative analytical Type historical policy When to use this quote - retirement planning - financial advising - public policy debate - social welfare Key Concepts economics political negotiation Questions to Reflect On - How do policy shifts affect personal finance? - What are the implications of gendered benefit ages? A Different Perspective Policy changes can create inequities and confusion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Congress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/congress/) [Eligibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eligibility/) [Entitlement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entitlement/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/security/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-security/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Welfare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/welfare/) [Welfare state](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/welfare-state/) ## Related quotes > [We stiffened the penalties for fraud, we extended nationwide efforts to make sure that payments are accurate and they closed a loophole in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-drum/we-stiffened-the-penalties-for-fraud-we-extended-nationwide-efforts/) [Kevin Drum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-drum/) > [Work needs to be the single biggest requirements. No more waivers as this administration has done. There should be real work eligibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/work-needs-to-be-the-single-biggest-requirements-no-more-waivers-as/) [Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/) > [This legislation provides Medicaid eligibility to evacuees and residents in (Federal Emergency Management Agency) designated disaster counties, .. It also helps pay private health…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thad-cochran/this-legislation-provides-medicaid-eligibility-to-evacuees-and/) [Thad Cochran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thad-cochran/) > [All an agent is going to do is buy things for a player, damage his eligibility, and make the player dependent on them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-holtz/all-an-agent-is-going-to-do-is-buy-things-for-a-player-damage-his/) [Lou Holtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-holtz/) > [Most Tea Party activists consider Obama a big-spending liberal. Some even question his eligibility to be president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-fournier/most-tea-party-activists-consider-obama-a-big-spending-liberal-some/) [Ron Fournier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-fournier/) > [I have terrible short-term memory loss, which I like to think of as Presidential eligibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-poundstone/i-have-terrible-short-term-memory-loss-which-i-like-to-think-of-as/) [Paula Poundstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-poundstone/) > [That was always a dream of mine to play division one basketball. Not knowing that I wasn't going to get the opportunity because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-starks/that-was-always-a-dream-of-mine-to-play-division-one-basketball-not/) [John Starks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-starks/) > [We changed the names of our technical schools to colleges, we expanded the eligibility for HOPE scholarships for technical training, and we added some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-barnes/we-changed-the-names-of-our-technical-schools-to-colleges-we-expanded/) [Roy Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-barnes/) > [One line I'd draw would be on raising the eligibility age for Social Security and Medicare. It sounds fair, since people are living longer.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/one-line-i-d-draw-would-be-on-raising-the-eligibility-age-for-social/) [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) > [We ought to make sure that the eligibility for entitlements meets the demographics of America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-mcconnell/we-ought-to-make-sure-that-the-eligibility-for-entitlements-meets-the/) [Mitch McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-mcconnell/) > [I just cannot fathom the criteria and the eligibility for awards as there is an ocean of difference between the state and national awards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padmapriya-janakiraman/i-just-cannot-fathom-the-criteria-and-the-eligibility-for-awards-as/) [Padmapriya Janakiraman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/padmapriya-janakiraman/) > [I recently spoke with Barbara Jordan of the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform, and I increasingly believe we need a system to verify employment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/i-recently-spoke-with-barbara-jordan-of-the-u-s-commission-on/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [This is what class warfare looks like: The Business Roundtable - representing Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase and others - has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/this-is-what-class-warfare-looks-like-the-business-roundtable/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [I only had one year of eligibility and I wasn't getting many offers from other schools. I jumped on it to make a mark.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-starks/i-only-had-one-year-of-eligibility-and-i-wasn-t-getting-many-offers/) [John Starks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-starks/) > [The APR provides a real-time snapshot of what is happening with our individual student-athletes today. However, it does not address some of the realities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deloss-dodds/the-apr-provides-a-real-time-snapshot-of-what-is-happening-with-our/) DeLoss Dodds ## More by George Will > [The average American expends more time becoming informed about choosing a car than choosing a candidate. But, then, the consequences of the former choice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/the-average-american-expends-more-time-becoming-informed-about/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [Pettiness is the tendency of people without large purposes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/pettiness-is-the-tendency-of-people-without-large-purposes/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [A politician's words reveal less about what he thinks about his subject than what he thinks about his audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/a-politician-s-words-reveal-less-about-what-he-thinks-about-his/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [As has been said, standards are always out of date - that is why we call them standards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/as-has-been-said-standards-are-always-out-of-date-that-is-why-we-call/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [Hart is still like that little tub of vaguely milklike gunk that comes with airline coffee. It is labeled a "nondairy" product. Fine: we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/hart-is-still-like-that-little-tub-of-vaguely-milklike-gunk-that/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [The realistic way to reduce the amount of money in politics is to reduce the amount of politics in money -- the importance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/the-realistic-way-to-reduce-the-amount-of-money-in-politics-is-to/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [It is important that Miers not be confirmed unless, in her 61st year, she suddenly and unexpectedly is found to have hitherto undisclosed interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/it-is-important-that-miers-not-be-confirmed-unless-in-her-61st-year/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [Greek philosophers considered sport a religious and civic-in a word, moral-undertaking. Sport, they said, is morally serious because mankind's noblest aim is the loving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/greek-philosophers-considered-sport-a-religious-and-civic-in-a-word/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [The cultivation - even celebration - of victimhood by intellectuals, tort lawyers, politicians and the media is both cause and effect of today's culture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/the-cultivation-even-celebration-of-victimhood-by-intellectuals-tort/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [When I'm in my car, I'm listening to books, audio books, always.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/when-i-m-in-my-car-i-m-listening-to-books-audio-books-always/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [Just as the common law derives from ancient precedents - judges' decisions - rather than statutes, baseball's codes are the game's distilled mores. Their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/just-as-the-common-law-derives-from-ancient-precedents-judges/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [“Football combines two of the worst things in American life. It is violence punctuated by committee meetings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/football-combines-two-of-the-worst-things-in-american-life-it-is/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [I've lived in Washington now for 44 years, and that's a lot of folly to witness up close. Whatever confidence and optimism I felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/i-ve-lived-in-washington-now-for-44-years-and-that-s-a-lot-of-folly/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [The business of America is not business. Neither is it war. The business of america is justice and securing the blessings of liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/the-business-of-america-is-not-business-neither-is-it-war-the/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [Freedom is not only the absence of external restraints. It is also the absence of irresistible internal compulsions, unmanageable passion, and uncensorable highlights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/freedom-is-not-only-the-absence-of-external-restraints-it-is-also-the/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) [Explore all 279 George Will quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) [Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The 1935 Social Security Act established 65 as the age of eligibility for payouts. But welfare state politics quickly becomes a bidding war, enriching the menu of benefits, so in 1956 Congress entitled women to collect benefits at 62, extending the entitlement to men in 1961.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Will" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/the-1935-social-security-act-established-65-as-the-age-of-eligibility/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Age" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/the-1935-social-security-act-established-65-as-the-age-of-eligibility/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/690/george-will-1177_age_the-1935-social-security-act-established_1922232.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/690/george-will-1177_age_the-1935-social-security-act-established_1922232.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/690/george-will-1177_age_the-1935-social-security-act-established_1922232.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The 1935 Social Security Act established 65 as the age of eligibility for payouts. But welfare state…” — George Will", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "George Will", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The 1935 Social Security Act established...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/the-1935-social-security-act-established-65-as-the-age-of-eligibility/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/the-1935-social-security-act-established-65-as-the-age-of-eligibility/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```