POTSDAM – A presentation on Social Security and how it benefits women is scheduled for April 13 at 2:30 p.m. at Clarkson University.

Diane Wilcox, the manager of the Social Security Administration office in Ogdensburg, is delivering the presentation in recognition of April as National Social Security Month.

The St. Lawrence County Branch of AAUW and the St. Lawrence County League of Women Voters are collaborating with Dr. JoAnn Rogers to present the program as part of her “Wealth, Health, Inequality and the Environment" class from 2:30 to 3:35 p.m. in Room 169 at Snell Hall on the hill campus.

The public is also invited.

About 90% of Americans over 65 collect Social Security retirement benefits, so they're a big part of most Americans' retirement planning. Because of this, it's important to know how Social Security works, how benefits are determined, and what to expect in the future.

Social Security benefits are of particular importance to women, both as insurance during their working careers and through retirement. According to a recent survey, women’s lower wages and higher medical costs are putting retiring women at greater risk for financial ruin than men.

Seventy percent of nursing home residents are women, and the average cost of a private nursing home room is more than $90,000 per year, said Debra Whitman, Chief Public Policy Officer for the AARP.

Retired women pay about $600 more per year than men on out-of-pocket health costs.

Senior poverty is a growing problem. Using the Supplemental Poverty Measure, or SPM — a more comprehensive measure of poverty than the official measure that takes into account not just income but also expenses such as out-of-pocket medical costs — 1 in 7 seniors, or 13.7 percent, were poor in 2015 and more than 4 in 10 were considered economically vulnerable.

These rates are even higher for elderly women and African American and Latino seniors.

Membership in the St. Lawrence County Branch of the AAUW, founded in 1927, is open to anyone who supports its mission -- advancing equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research.

AAUW, with its nationwide network of more than 150,000 members and supporters, more than 1,000 branches conducting programs in communities across the country, and 869 college and university partners (including all four local colleges), has been a leading advocate for equity and education for women and their families since 1881.

For more information about AAUW in St. Lawrence County, contact President Betty Connolly at Connolly@canton.edu or Public Policy Chair Kathleen Stein at 386-3812, kstein1@twcny.rr.com, or visit the branch website, http://stlawrence.aauw-nys.org/.