As of: March 26, 2024, 8:11 p.m
By: Nico Reiter
Comments
Press
Split
Although she has worked full-time for 45 years, a pensioner from Regensburg can barely stay afloat.
She relies on food banks and housing benefit.
Regensburg – She would like to give her grandson more pocket money.
Unfortunately, the budget is not enough for a pensioner from Regensburg.
She is one of many people affected by poverty in old age.
This danger is becoming a reality for more and more Germans despite the planned pension increase in the summer.
Almost half of those over 65 are at risk.
Especially in cities with high costs of living, it is becoming increasingly difficult to live solely on pensions.
A person affected speaks about her situation
in an interview with the
Mittelbayerische Zeitung .
Full time for 45 years - and yet the pension isn't even enough to go to a café
The 71-year-old pensioner lives in Regensburg.
She worked full-time for over four decades, first as a kindergarten teacher and later at Siemens VDO and Continental.
After this long career, her pension is only 1,220 euros per month.
In Germany, one in three women receives less than 1,000 euros in pension.
On average, the pension for women in Upper Palatinate is 772 euros, while men receive 1,266 euros per month, according to the
Mittelbayerische Zeitung
.
Women are therefore disproportionately affected by poverty in old age.
Federal State |
Average men |
Average women |
|---|---|---|
Throughout Germany |
1728 euros |
1316 euros |
Bavaria |
1732 euros |
1278 euros |
Baden-Württemberg |
1830 euros |
1293 euros |
Hesse |
1785 euros |
1322 euros |
Rhineland-Palatinate |
1743 euros |
1281 euros |
(Source: German Pension Insurance, 2023)
Since the pensioner from Regensburg had to financially support two children and later her mother, she was unable to invest in private retirement provision.
“There’s no money left to save,” she says.
She uses her pension for rent, electricity, broadcasting fees, insurance and cat food for her cat Charly.
At the end of the month she has nothing left.
Without facilities like the Tafel, she would not be able to make ends meet.
There she receives food, care products and occasional sweets for her grandson, which she is particularly happy about.
A visit to a café is difficult for the woman to finance (symbolic image) © giovannini/Imago
“What have I worked for for 45 years?” asks the 71-year-old.
She has to forego a lot of things in her free time.
“It’s not possible for me to go to a café,” she says.
“When my former work colleagues on the Dult [note.
d.
Red. “Fairn”]
or meet in the beer garden, I have to make up an excuse or just drink some water." The pensioner's financial worries also put a social strain on her, and she often prefers to stay at home.
My news
Sweater, park bench, daffodils: The hidden messages in Princess Kate's video reading
Seriously injured ski jumping ace with devastating bedside diagnosis
Bankruptcy of German industry giant: next traditional company goes bankrupt
Baby happiness after the end of his career: Olympic ski champion becomes a father for the first time a few days after retirement
“Dragon Fire” as a Ukraine game changer?
Laser cannon hits “at the speed of light” read
“That’s disrespectful”: Civil servants earn as little as citizens’ benefit recipients – and the traffic lights are watching
Entitlement to housing benefit despite pension?
– Social benefits are often associated with shame
In order to improve her situation, the pensioner has now decided to apply for housing benefit.
Around half of all housing benefit recipients are pensioners, according to
Die Zeit.
Only one in three people who would be entitled to housing benefit takes advantage of the offer.
Many pensioners would rather earn extra money through mini-jobs than accept help from the state.
The reasons that speak against it are often linked to shame.
Although more and more older people rely on social benefits, there is a harsh stigma attached to them.
Many people who have worked hard and been self-employed all their lives do not want to be a burden in old age.
But the pensioner also has to admit to herself: “But if it doesn’t work, then it doesn’t work.”
(no)
The editor wrote this article and then used an AI language model for optimization at his own discretion. All information has been carefully checked.
Find out more about our AI principles here.