Lifecourses and poverty among elderly women in Belgium. Interactions between family trajectories, career trajectories and pension regulations

The precarious financial situation of many elderly women in developed countries is a well-established fact. Nonetheless, in depth insight in the causes remains largely absent. Social policy researchers have analyzed the effects of pension regulations on poverty among the elderly. However, they have failed to consider the importance of sequence, timing and interaction of family and career events. On the other hand, the interaction between these events is a central research theme for demographers and family sociologists alike. Nonetheless, in this strand of the literature, the elderly have remained largely overlooked. Moreover, the interaction of these events with pension regulations is barely considered, even though pensions are the main income source for the elderly. In response to this dearth of knowledge, we argue it is essential to investigate how family trajectories, career trajectories and pension regulations interact. It is only by investigating these interactions that poverty among elderly women can adequately be accounted for. We use unique administrative data of more than 100.000 people older than 60 living in Belgium and their family members. The elderly’s poverty risk is linked to over 45 years of career variables and socio-demographic variables.