Discrimination against men in matters of social security, old age, and widowers' pensions, health benefits, industrial protective legislation, and responsibility considerations arises mainly as a result of the legally accepted dependency status of women in married and family life and the general agreement that women are in greater need of protection with regard to employment in particular. Widowers' pensions are not a matter of course unless the man has been demonstrably dependent on his wife, and in many cases he must in fact be physically disabled in order to qualify. Women qualify for old age pensions earlier than men.
In many cases, women receive lower salaries, lower pensions and lower health benefits. Work in the home is not considered of value and implies no pension or social security rights; a wife may be dependent on her husband for such provisions, and often a husband's pension may die with him.