All American retirees who have served the minimum total of years are eligible for Social Security retirement benefits, but the monthly payments range greatly. The more money you make earning before retirement, the bigger your benefit will be because benefits are dependent on income.
That explains why men often receive larger Social Security payouts each month than women. Although they performed similar jobs, men had historically benefited higher than women. In addition, women are significantly more inclined than males to leave their jobs to look after children, which prevents them from participating in important earning periods that will ultimately increase their Social Security benefits.
Benefits are determined by your 35 best earning years’ worth of income. When you stop working for a significant period, those years with no earnings are taken into account when calculating your benefits, which additionally decreases your checks.