We are aging into poverty: Are we all in the same dead end?
One of the brutal realities of the modern age is that poverty has become the fate not just of one generation, but of several. Income inequality and unjust social security policies have turned poverty into a vicious cycle that persists across generations. Today, a large segment of society—especially women—is entering old age in poverty. Moreover, this process is not only pulling in low-income groups but is rapidly drawing in the middle class as well. This ever-growing economic quagmire is engulfing a wider population, driving them toward a point of silence and despair.
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Old age is turning into a phase where an individual's social status is most disregarded, and where they lose their economic independence and, ultimately, their social ties. Increasing individualization and isolation, when combined with economic hardships, turn old age into a complete tragedy.
INDEBTEDNESS AND DISORGANIZATION
The deepening of poverty in Turkey is the product of a mechanism greater than just oppressive regimes: disorganization and indebtedness. These two strategies destroy social solidarity, isolating the individual while simultaneously stripping them of their economic independence.
Is it a coincidence that low-interest loans or debt restructuring packages come to the agenda during election periods? Debt policies provide relief to individuals in the short term while increasing economic dependency in the long term. An individual dragged into a debt trap loses not only their current livelihood but also their future freedom.
People trapped in the cycle of debt, in addition to losing their economic independence, also lose the energy to stand against the system. This creates an invisible mechanism of oppression that suppresses the individual's voice not just in old age, but at every stage of life. This system, which mortgages even the future of the youth, makes a sustainable life during old age almost impossible.
THE INVISIBLE DANGER TO THE MIDDLE CLASS
The middle class, which appears to lead a more comfortable life, is actually being rapidly pushed to the brink of poverty. According to calculations made by DİSK, as of 2023, nearly half of the 17.4 million employees in Turkey—that is, 8.5 million—are living on a minimum wage or lower, and this wage has now become the norm. It is clearly evident that this segment, referred to as the middle class, is actually on the verge of poverty.
This group, which lives relatively comfortably today, will face major economic losses in the future. The weakening of the social security system and rising healthcare costs during retirement are driving the middle class into the category of "hidden poor." These losses are not only financial; they also cause the rapid collapse of social ties. The middle class is consuming only today's prosperity; it is losing the security of tomorrow. And unfortunately, the greatest luxury of the middle class is being too busy to realize its own poverty.
FOR WOMEN, POVERTY GROWS WITH OLD AGE
The fact that 75% of those living alone over the age of 65 in Turkey are women reveals the most brutal face of social inequality in old age. According to TUIK data, 15% of the population over 65 is illiterate, and this rate is five times higher among women than men. Women are not just aging; they are becoming impoverished, excluded from society, and experiencing an insecure old age.
A woman's lifelong labor is often consumed in unregistered and insecure jobs. In retirement, she struggles to survive without social security. This causes women to face not only economic but also social exclusion. Society's devaluing view of women and the lack of compensation for their labor return as a heavier burden in old age.
THE CONTRADICTION IN SOCIAL SECURITY: THOSE WHO RETIRE EARLY RECEIVE HIGHER PENSIONS
The distortions in Turkey's social security system are also evident in retirement pensions. The fact that retiring in 2024 is 40% more advantageous than in 2025 clearly demonstrates the imbalance in pension accrual rates and update coefficients. At this rate, retirement pensions will cease to be a source of livelihood; we will have to settle for remembering, "we used to be able to get by, at least a little, with this pension."
THE IMPOVERISHED MAJORITY, DEEPENING INEQUALITY: IS A WAY OUT POSSIBLE?
Poverty is the modern world's greatest failure. A large segment of society, in the face of injustices and lack of solutions repeated over years, learns to internalize hopelessness and resign itself to its fate. However, this internalized helplessness condemns society not only to silence but also to a lack of organization.
While a vast majority tries to survive on the lowest pension, half of the workforce is condemned to the minimum wage. Different segments of society are uniting on the same poverty line; as inequality deepens, poverty brings us all together in the same fate.
Income inequality and poverty are among the greatest problems threatening not only individuals but the future of society itself. In a system where resources are not distributed fairly, it is impossible for individuals to live in prosperity during their old age. This requires long-term policies and a shift in social consciousness.
Making women's labor visible, strengthening the social security system, and increasing solidarity will save not only today's social structure but tomorrow's as well. Without acting from a perspective that values every stage of human life and gives labor its due, it is impossible for us to escape this vortex.
As I write this, news channels are reporting that retirees are now buying New Year's lottery tickets together; whether it is desperation, solidarity, or the dark humor of poverty, the decision is yours...
Activist
Erkan Erdem