The analysis of the specific impact of women aging in the sustainability of social welfare system – evidence for Brazil and Portugal

Andréia B. F. Maciel, Universidade de Évora
Maria Mendes, Universidade de Évora

Global aging is one of the major challenges of humanity, since during this century will extend to all regions of the world. The continuing decline in registered total fertility rates over recent decades has led to observed fertility rates, in Portugal and Brazil, in 2011, below the replacement level threshold. Portugal is the 6th most aged country of the world, in 2011, because it has one of the highest proportions of people aged 65 years and older in its population, while Brazil is still a relatively young country, as ¼ of the population still has less than 15 years old. The aging population, both in absolute and proportional terms, undoubtedly has many consequences for society, which must be taken into account. Among the most commonly cited implications is the impact on the Social Security Systems. The diference in mortality behavior between men and women leading to a feminization of aging can also have specific consequences on the system of social welfare. So it is essential to try to understand to what extent gender discrimination in the labor market influences the system of social welfare in Brazil and Portugal. It seems also relevant, recognizing that there has been a profound change in terms of general health and state of well-being and quality of life of individuals as life expectancy has increased, that we do not continue to analyze and plan the future based on the same conventional indicators of demographic aging. Thus, our goal will be to rethink the impact of aging population on the Social Security systems and propose a new evaluation of aging consequences in both countries. We will use data from the Statistical Yearbook of the Social Security (Brazil), Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, Statistics Portugal, Human Mortality Database, Population Reference Bureau and World Population Prospects (UN).