ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY YEARS OF WIDOWHOOD PROTECTION (1900-2020)

Abstract

From the beginning of their specific protection, the situations of need derived from death and survival were protected in different ways, perhaps because instead of attending to their immediate cause, the mediated causes were repaired. The result was the appearing of an extremely pluralistic, asystematic and protective regime. However, it was also incoherent and sometimes offered overlapping benefits because the situations of need to repair were protected due to a plurality of risks, work accident, occupational disease, loss of health, death, family burdens, and so on. That is, there was no one specific social insurance of death and survival at the beginning of protection. Therefore, the study of widowhood protection that is carried out here, begins with an analysis of its configuration, through the different measures included in the legislation protecting professional risks, followed after its arrangement in the various social insurance protectors of common risks. This period begins in 1900 with the Work Accident Law and ends in 1966 when our current Social Security system is about to enter into force.

The second part begins with an analysis of the initial configuration of protection in the Social Security system in 1967, its improvement in 1972 and the continuous reforms that have been taking place since 1981 and have led to the current situation, in which can be seen as requirements and protective modalities that had disappeared with the 1972 reform have been recovered. On the other hand, the personal scope field has been extended allowing than in situations of matrimonial crises or non-marital unions could be possible be entitled to social security benefits. In this second part, special reference is made to the consideration of situations of violence against women and their impact on their social protection.

Finally, there is a third part in which some considerations are made about the future of widowhood protection.