Widow's pension

A widow's pension is a payment from the government of a country to a person whose spouse has died.

Generally, such payments are made to a widow whose late spouse has satisfied the country's requirements, including contribution, cohabitation, and length of marriage.^[1]

United States

In the United States, the widow's pension was introduced in the Senate in 1930.^[2]

In 2003, Congress approved a payment of $11,750 of widow's pension owed to Harriet Tubman.^[3]

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the Widow’s Pension was discontinued in 2001.^[4] A widow's pension can be paid to childless widows age 45 or over, or to those whose husband died before September 4, 2001.^[5]

When it was offered, for a woman to qualify, her husband must have paid 25 flat-rate contributions before April 6, 1975.^[3]

Israel

In Israel in 2007, a court ruled the female partner of a deceased lesbian was entitled to a widow's pension.^[4]

New Zealand

In New Zealand, a widow's pension was introduced in 1911 to help families with no other way of supporting themselves.^[6]

Spain

In 2009, a court agreed that a Gypsy woman was entitled to receive a widow's pension.^[7]

References