Thursday, June 27, 2024

Old-age Poverty in Germany | DW Documentary

Jun 24, 2024 | Gisela, Inga and Ulrich are pensioners – and poor. They’re constantly short on cash, even though they worked as hard as they could.

One out of five pensioners in Germany is considered to be at risk of poverty. Among women, the figure is even higher. The reasons vary widely. Gisela had decided to take care of her elderly father – meaning she couldn’t make enough payments into the pension fund. She’s feeling the consequences now, as she must count every penny.

Inga is in a similar situation. She had an accident that stopped her from working full-time. Now she’s trying to save money wherever possible – especially on groceries.

Ulrich was self-employed and earned well. But then his business went bust, and his savings are long gone.

Three different life stories, one problem: With retirement came poverty.

A film by Tessa Clara Walther and Melina Grundmann.