Andorran Women Comprise Over 60% of Economic Aid Recipients Due to Structural Inequalities

Judith Pallarés, secretary general of the Andorran Women's Institute, attributes women's majority share—over 60%—of occasional economic aid recipients to longstanding structural inequalities in the labor market, unpaid caregiving duties, and shorter contribution records that result in lower pensions, especially for those over 65.

Statistics Department figures for 2025 confirm the pattern across quarters: women made up 65.7% of beneficiaries in the first (800 cases total), 63.2% in the second (371 cases), and 60.6% in the third (356 cases). Pallarés points to women historically managing household responsibilities without formal pay or social security credits, leaving many without sufficient personal resources in later years.

The trend extends to single-parent households, which are mostly female-led. Third-quarter 2025 data record "single-parent women" families at 8% of grants and "accredited single-parent women" at 12.9%, for a combined 20.9%. This rose to 25.1% in 2024. Male-led single-parent families, meanwhile, accounted for 2.4% to 3.4% in 2025 and roughly 2-3% in prior years.

Pallarés stresses that delays in child support payments worsen these issues, turning temporary difficulties into prolonged dependence on public aid. Legal tools like asset seizures exist, and rules are tightening, but court processes often drag on. Families frequently rely on state help for months before the non-paying parent settles, she noted.

Such gaps, alongside low pensions, past career breaks, and women's overrepresentation in single-parent setups, create ongoing economic risks. Pallarés described these as accumulated lifetime factors rather than fleeting problems, risking entrenched hardship for women and their dependents.