Pension differences: Women in the East benefit more than in the West!

Pension differences: Women in the East benefit more than in the West!

There is a large gap in pensions in Germany, which varies greatly from state to state. What is particularly striking are the differences between East and West Germany, which are not only geographical but also gender-specific. Men can look forward to higher pensions, while women are often disadvantaged, especially in the old federal states. According to the current figures, the government still has a lot of work to do when it comes to pension policy.

The average pension for women in the western German states will be less than 1,000 euros per month in 2023, while the situation in the east is significantly better. Women in East Germany collect an average of 1,218 euros, which makes a significant difference of 357 euros T Online reported. Potsdam is particularly noteworthy with an average pension payment of 1,314 euros.

Gender pension gap and regional differences

The reasons for the large age differences are complex. Many pensioners in the old federal states were predominantly housewives or only worked part-time. These lifestyles have a direct impact on the pension level. For men, however, the difference between East and West is minimal: in the West the average pension is 1,430 euros and in the East it is 1,416 euros. Slide precaution has also confirmed this. In addition, gross pensions in Germany are generally getting higher, especially in the east, where an adjustment of 5.86% has been made since July 2023.

Another qualitative feature of the pension landscape is the Gender Pension Gap, which indicates that women in Germany receive an average of 936 euros, while male pensioners receive almost 50% more at 1,427 euros. In the West, the difference is as high as 66%, which is due to the working histories of women, who often work part-time and have more career breaks. But how GDV found that this gap is much smaller in East Germany at only 16%.

The best and worst states

A look at the gross pensions for men and women shows that North Rhine-Westphalia and Saarland are the frontrunners with 1,845 euros and 1,840 euros for men, respectively. For women, however, Berlin-Ost is ahead with an average of 1,501 euros. Unfortunately, there are also downsides: in the Eifel district of Bitburg-Prüm in Rhineland-Palatinate, the pension for women is only 668 euros - an alarming result.

• Top-3 Bundesländer für Männer:
  • Nordrhein-Westfalen: 1.845 Euro
  • Saarland: 1.840 Euro
  • Berlin-Ost: 1.699 Euro
• Top-3 Bundesländer für Frauen:
  • Potsdam: 1.314 Euro
  • Berlin-Ost: 1.501 Euro
  • Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: 1.216 Euro

Pension policy in Germany is heading in a decisive direction to reduce these differences and offer women fairer treatment. The coming reforms should also include a promise to increase women's labor force participation. A higher employment rate could not only reduce gender gaps, but also stabilize and future-proof the pension system.

So the challenges are clear and there is still a lot of work to be done. The numbers speak for themselves, and it remains to be seen what steps politicians will take to close the pension gap.