The work of housewives is vital to maintain the economy of a country. The problem is that its value is incalculable in many ways, as no income is received from it. This makes housewives a vulnerable group in all aspects, firstly, because they dedicate themselves exclusively to the house, something that prevents them from enriching their own assets with other activities outside the home.
And second, because those housewives who are in charge of cooking, cleaning the bathrooms, making the beds, taking care of the children and a long etcetera did not pay contributions or have the right to unemployment until recently, being dependent on third parties. To alleviate this inequality, the State has different aids in the form of financial benefits for this group.
Aid. One of these benefits is the Active Insertion Income (RAI), which is a supplement for housewives who meet certain requirements. This subsidy is provided by the Public State Employment Service (SEPE) and lasts for 11 months. It is an aid for those unemployed people who are not entitled to either the contributory benefit or the unemployment benefit.
How much? The amount of the Active Insertion Income (RAI) is established at 80% of the Public Indicator of Multiple Effects Income (IPREM), which this year is 600 euros per month. Therefore, the RAI figure for this 2023 is €480 per month. Last year, the amount amounted to €463.21, so the increase is just under 20 euros per month.
Requirements. Those who want to apply for this aid must meet a series of conditions: be unemployed and registered as a job seeker, maintain said registration during the period of receiving the benefit and sign the activity commitment.
In addition, you must be under 65 years of age, not have your own monthly income greater than 75% of the minimum interprofessional salary (the average for the family unit must not exceed this in the case of having a spouse and/or children under 26 years of age), not have been a RAI beneficiary in the 365 calendar days prior to the application date and have not previously received Active Insertion Income three times.
How to request it? The process can be done through different methods: SEPE’s electronic headquartersin the benefit office (by requesting an appointment), at any public registry office, by administrative mail. The most comfortable thing to do is on-line, although you need to have a digital certificate on your computer or Cl@ve PIN. If you want to follow this path, the first thing is access the SEPE Electronic Office.
Once there, click on Application Access and on Active Insertion Income (RAI). You must complete the personal information requested as well as the data of your spouse or children in order to calculate your individual economic situation.
Compared to other countries. One in three countries of the European Union has a family ministry and Spain is not one of them. In fact, according to the report on the Evolution of the Family in Spain in 2021, from the Family Policy Institute, the European average of GDP allocated by each country to the family is 2.2%, while in Spain it is only dedicated 1.3%. This places us as one of the countries of the bloc that grants them the least aid. Of every €18 that Spain spends on social spending, only €1 goes to the family.
The French and German cases. In France, there are minimum income aids that are also dedicated to housewives. We include them since they are intended for a sector of the population that is unemployed (such as housewives) or that works in precarious conditions. One of them is the Active Solidarity Income, which replaced the minimum insertion income (RMI). The amount varies depending on the number of people in the home. That is, for a person without income who lives alone it would be €524.16; a father or mother with only one or two children would receive €897.44 or €1,121 respectively, and the figure increases by €224.36 for each child. A couple with two children would be entitled to €1,100.74.
In Germany there is, in turn, a similar minimum income program called Arbeitslosengeld II that serves as a subsidy for the long-term unemployed (such as housewives). Its coverage covers many other aspects: it includes a minimum subsistence income, housing expenses, heating, medical expenses and supplements for children. The minimum amount is around €430 and for a family of 4 members it can exceed €1,200.
In Italy. A country with approximately 5 million casalinghe (housewives) and where there is still a notable patriarchal culture, a proposal for a salary for women who work in the home is already being debated, although the amount is not clear. However, the Italian government has already announced that it is going to allocate 3 million euros to pay for training opportunities for women in what will be a bonus for unemployed housewives.
pension for housewives. At Magnet we have recently told how housewives can access a pension and the fact that until very recently, this group did not contribute to the pension or to the rest of unemployment benefits and subsidies, thus creating notable inequality.
That is why Social Security offers a type of benefit for which it is not necessary to have contributed a minimum: non-contributory pensions, which this year can amount to €6,784.54 per year. The amount of this benefit is fixed. That means that each year its amount is updated. AND this 2023 is €484.61 per month. The requirements are to reach ordinary retirement age (65 years), have resided legally in Spain for at least 10 years and that at least two are immediately and consecutively prior to the request.
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