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Survey Shows That INSS Pensions Are Currently Predominantly Female, Resulting from Greater Participation of Women in the Labor Market and Higher Life Expectancy, Which Pressures the Financial Balance of the System
According to the OGLOBO portal, since 2018, women have surpassed men in the number of benefits paid by the General Social Security System. The expansion of INSS pensions for the female audience reflects structural changes in Brazilian society such as job formalization and population aging and highlights a growing challenge for the fiscal sustainability of the system.
In 2023, the last year with consolidated data, the total number of retired women and beneficiaries of BPC (Continuous Cash Benefit) reached 11.8 million women, equivalent to 51.2% of beneficiaries, according to a study by researcher Rogério Nagamine. The growth is nearly three times greater compared to 2001, when women represented 44% of retirees.
The Demographic Turn in Social Security
The increase in female participation in INSS pensions stems from two main factors: the rise in women’s participation in the formal market and their greater longevity compared to men.
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Brazilian women live, on average, seven years longer, which extends the time for receiving benefits and impacts the actuarial balance of the system.
In addition to pensions, benefits such as death pensions and maternity salaries reinforce female predominance in the social security structure.
In December 2023, out of a total of R$ 64.1 billion paid by the INSS, R$ 34 billion (53%) went to women, while men received R$ 30.1 billion (47%).
The phenomenon also repeats itself in the public servant systems, with a female majority in practically all sectors, especially in education.
Reforms and Differentiated Rules
The 2019 Social Security Reform consolidated a difference between genders in retirement rules.
Women began retiring at 62 years, with a minimum of 30 years of contributions, while men have a minimum age of 65 years and must prove 35 years of contributions.
For female teachers, the requirements are lower: 57 years and 25 years of contributions, due to the exhaustive nature of the profession.
These distinctions were maintained after political resistances during the reform debate. The central argument is compensation for the double burden faced by women, as they still assume the majority of domestic work and care for children and the elderly.
A survey by IBGE from 2022 indicates that Brazilian women dedicate, on average, 21 more days a year to household chores than men, which reduces the time available for formal work and social security contributions.
The Perception of Those Who Experienced the Transition
Cases like that of retired teacher Joscilene Souza, 57 years old, illustrate the weight of the double routine. A resident of Volta Redonda (RJ), she started contributing at a young age and retired at 51 after decades balancing the classroom with household tasks.
“My husband worked in another city and would only come on his days off. Everything was my responsibility,” she says. The special retirement for teachers is, for her, a recognition of the invisible and continuous work of women.
Similar stories multiply across different generations. Sônia Martins, 62 years old, a retired domestic worker in 2024, was the first in her family to have a formal job.
“My mother was also a domestic worker but never had the right to retirement,” she reports. For Sônia, even with advancements, social security income still does not guarantee financial independence, and many women continue to work after retiring.
The Debate on Rule Equality
Experts disagree on the future of INSS pensions in the context of gender inequality.
Some scholars advocate for the end of the differentiation between men and women, aligning Brazil with countries that adopt uniform rules with specific compensation mechanisms for mothers, as occurs in Spain and Chile.
Others argue that the structural inequality in the labor market and the lack of public policies for support such as daycare centers and elderly care facilities still justify the maintenance of current rules.
“Women face double or even triple shifts and continue to be penalized by domestic overload,” says lawyer Diego Cherulli, director of the Brazilian Institute of Social Security Law (IBDP).
Prosecutor Zélia Pierdoná points out that if there is an equalization, it is essential to create compensation mechanisms linked to motherhood, not just to gender.
Sustainability and the Future of Social Security
With the trend of an aging population and increased female participation, the weight of INSS pensions is likely to grow, demanding new debates on financial sustainability and social justice.
The predominance of female beneficiaries increases public spending but also reflects social inclusion and formalization of women’s work, recent phenomena in the Brazilian economic structure.
According to Nagamine’s study, the average benefit paid to women in 2023 was R$ 2,067, about 10% lower than that of men, which exposes not only the impact of the reduced contribution period but also the salary differences still present in the country.
Experts point out that the challenge will be to balance the system without rolling back on women’s gains, maintaining equity as the central principle of social security policy.
The prominence of women in INSS pensions reveals social advances, but also pressures the financial balance of Social Security. In light of this scenario, should the country equalize the rules between men and women or maintain differences while inequalities in the labor market persist?
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