Elderly women face significant risk of impoverishment, with an estimated 2.1 million impacted - Elderly women face significant risks of living in poverty, with approximately 2.1 million individuals facing this predicament.
Article:
A rise in old-age poverty, particularly affecting women, has been observed in the past decade according to recent statistics. In 2005, around 2 million pensioners struggled with poverty, but last year, the number surged to 3.4 million.
Sahra Wagenknecht, head of the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), attributed this trend to a hostile pension system towards women. She advocates for the adoption of a pension model similar to Austria's, proposing a minimum pension of 1500 euros after 40 years of insurance. In Austria, a higher proportion of employed individuals contribute to the statutory pension, resulting in significantly higher average pensions than in Germany.
The growing issue of old-age poverty is one of the critical political projects for the new federal government. There has been disagreement within the coalition on how to find a sustainable solution. Labour Minister Barbara Bas (SPD) suggested self-employed and civil servants should contribute to the statutory pension insurance. However, representatives from the Union have opposed this proposal. SPD chief Lars Klingbeil has called for a "real reform" of the pension system before assuming his roles as Finance Minister and Deputy Chancellor.
Background:
Improved pension provisions and decent wages are key components of Sahra Wagenknecht's proposed solution to address old-age poverty, particularly among women. The aim is to achieve greater social justice by combating poverty and reducing economic inequality.
However, Germany's pension system faces financial challenges, with potential cuts in social benefits and pensions looming due to budget constraints and increased defense spending. This could lead to worsening living standards for retirees, especially vulnerable groups like women. In contrast, Austria's pension system is generally more generous, providing higher pension benefits and better social security coverage, resulting in lower levels of old-age poverty among women.
- Sahra Wagenknecht suggests adopting a pension policy like Austria's, which offers a minimum pension of 1500 euros after 40 years of insurance, as a solution to the rising old-age poverty, particularly affecting women, in the context of health-and-wellness, aging, and women's health.
- In an attempt to combat old-age poverty and achieve greater social justice, Sahra Wagenknecht emphasizes the need for improved vocational training, decent wages, and community policy.
- The issue of old-age poverty among women is a critical focus for the new federal government's political agenda, with ongoing discussions about how to find a sustainable solution and address the financial challenges faced by Germany's pension system within the context of policy-and-legislation and general-news.
- The contrast between Germany's pension system, facing potential cuts in social benefits and pensions, and Austria's more generous system, providing higher pension benefits and better social security coverage, is significant, especially in relation to the ongoing issue of old-age poverty among women and the science of economics and sociology.
