Widows’ Public Pensions in Six Western European Countries: Proposed Reforms and the Gender Gap between Widows and Widowers

This research discusses proposed and enacted public pension reforms in the context of gender inequality between widows and widowers for persons over 70 in six European countries. Data come from the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) Wave 5 sample in Belgium, Germany, Sweden, France, Italy, and Spain. This inequality needs to be taken into account in implementing public pension reforms. Already the public pension reform in Sweden excludes widows from any right to their deceased spouse’s pension. Recent discussions of public pension reform tend to assume that women will be able to earn their own pension. While this may save money for governments, it is likely to result in even greater gender inequality. Women’s achievement of a “male standard biography” is a long way in the future. The research results suggest that instead of each individual man and woman earning their own pension irrespective of marital status, marriage should be redefined as an equal economic partnership, especially when children are involved. This approach could meet the European Union (EU) goals of gender mainstreaming and result in greater equality between widows and widowers.