This book explores survivors’ benefits, a long-standing pillar of social security systems worldwide. Rooted in the outdated male breadwinner model, these benefits were crafted to shield dependents from financial ruin after losing a primary earner. Yet, as societal currents shift—marked by rising female employment, widespread divorce, and the prevalence of informal partnerships—, social security systems increasingly grapple with their relevance. Are survivors’ benefits a vestige of the past, poised for overhaul, substitution, or even elimination?Focusing on recent shifts in selected countries, this collected volume dissects the legal, social, and policy dimensions of these benefits. It examines how international and European legal instruments address survivors’ benefits and analyzes 21st-century reforms, revealing a system in quiet upheaval. Compact and incisive, this work lays bare the evolution of a once-steady institution now facing an uncertain future.

This book explores survivors’ benefits, a long-standing pillar of social security systems worldwide. Rooted in the outdated male breadwinner model, these benefits were crafted to shield dependents from financial ruin after losing a primary earner. Yet, as societal currents shift—marked by rising female employment, widespread divorce, and the prevalence of informal partnerships—, social security systems increasingly grapple with their relevance. Are survivors’ benefits a vestige of the past, poised for overhaul, substitution, or even elimination?Focusing on recent shifts in selected countries, this collected volume dissects the legal, social, and policy dimensions of these benefits. It examines how international and European legal instruments address survivors’ benefits and analyzes 21st-century reforms, revealing a system in quiet upheaval. Compact and incisive, this work lays bare the evolution of a once-steady institution now facing an uncertain future.