The majority of women over 80 years of age in Spain have developed their working lives outside the formal contribution channels, either as housewives or as support in family businesses.
Although the Social Security system includes mechanisms to those who did not reach the minimum years requiredthe lack of information at that time meant that many did not access these benefits. As a consequence, they currently depend exclusively on the pensions of their husbands or those closest to them.
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Her source of income is the pension her husband receives.
This is the case of Ana, an 87-year-old retiree who does not receive any benefits in her name. “I don’t charge anything at all,” he says in an interview for NewsWorkreflecting the reality of a generation of women who, like Ana, grew old outside the contribution system and whose only source of income is the pension of her husband, a former lawyer, who always managed the family economy. “For pensions… not me, not a cent,” he adds.
For decades, Ana worked alongside him in offices; first in Barcelona and then in Almería. However, this collaboration never translated into a formal employment relationship or Social Security contributions. “I have never gone to beg for it to be given to me,” he admits in reference to a pension.
This administrative vacuum prevents you from accessing a contributory benefit today, since the Spanish system requires a minimum of 15 years of contributions to access a contributory pension. For those who do not reach that threshold, there is the option of non-contributory pensions, intended for people in need.
However, despite her situation, Ana claims to live with a certain stability thanks to her husband’s pension. “I do know that he earns money, but he earns money because he is a lawyer’s pensioner. I don’t know anything about the rest,” he explains, pointing out that he has access to the common account and a bank card, although he acknowledges that he barely uses it. “If I want I go and serve, but I don’t like serving, I like putting in,” he points out.
“I see life as expensive for people who have to find a life alone without anyone to contribute anything. I don’t know how they can get ahead, especially if they have children or older parents.”
But Ana’s case is not isolated. The lack of economic recognition for jobs carried out for years without contributions, especially in the domestic or family sphere, is today a reality that affects thousands of older women in Spain and raises questions about the equity of the social protection system.