As of: February 19, 2024, 11:09 a.m
By: Nico Reiter
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Despite 45 years of full-time work, a Regensburg woman's pension is barely enough to live on.
Now she is thinking about how she could alleviate her situation.
Regensburg – Poverty in old age is a problem for more and more Germans. Almost half of those over 65 are at risk.
Especially in cities with high costs of living, seniors have to pay close attention to their budget.
The high rental costs in particular are a burden, and vacations or leisure activities are often unthinkable.
A person affected now shares her situation in an interview with the
Mittelbayerische Zeitung
.
45 years of full-time work – yet the pension isn’t even enough to cover the café
The 71-year-old pensioner lives in Regensburg.
She worked full time for over forty years.
First as a kindergarten teacher and later at Siemens VDO and Continental.
After this commute, her pension is 1220 euros per month.
Every third woman in Germany receives a pension of less than 1,000 euros.
On average, the pension for women in the Upper Palatinate is 772 euros, and for men it is 1,266 euros per month, according to the
Mittelbayerische Zeitung
.
Women are therefore disproportionately affected by poverty in old age in retirement.
Federal State |
Average men |
Average women |
|---|---|---|
Bavaria |
1732 euros |
1278 euros |
Baden-Württemberg |
1830 euros |
1293 euros |
Hesse |
1785 euros |
1322 euros |
Rhineland-Palatinate |
1743 euros |
1281 euros |
Throughout Germany |
1728 euros |
1316 euros |
(Source: German Pension Insurance, 2023)
Since the Regensburg native supported two children and later her mother financially, she was unable to invest in private retirement provision: “There is no money left to save,” she explains to the
Mittelbayerische Zeitung
.
She uses her pension for rent, electricity, broadcasting fees, insurance and food for her cat.
She has nothing left at the end of the month.
Without facilities like the Tafel, the pensioner would not be able to make ends meet, she says.
There the woman receives food, care products and sometimes sweets for her grandson, which she is particularly happy about.
The pensioner can hardly afford to go to a café © imagebroker/Imago
“What have I worked for for 45 years?” asks the 71-year-old.
She has to give up a lot, especially in her free time.
“It’s not possible for me to go to a café,” she reports.
“When my former work colleagues on the Dult [note.
d.
"Funfair"] or in the beer garden, I have to make up an excuse or just drink some water." Money worries also put a strain on the pensioner socially, and she often prefers to stay at home.
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Entitlement to housing benefit despite pension – social benefits often associated with shame
In order to relieve some of the financial burden on herself, the pensioner decided to apply for housing benefit.
Around half of all those entitled to housing benefit are pensioners, according to Die
Zeit.
Only one in three people who would be entitled to housing benefit take advantage of the offer.
Pensioners often prefer to earn extra money through mini-jobs rather than claiming social benefits.
Reasons against it are often associated with shame.
Many people who have worked hard and been self-employed all their lives don't want to be a burden in old age.
“But if it doesn’t work, then it doesn’t work,” said the pensioner.
Another senior citizen from Hamburg also shares a similar fate.
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