Youth and Social Security Coverage in Brazil

Abstract

Brazil is still a young country, just starting the process of aging, but Brazil’s spending on social security is similar to those countries whose population aging has already occurred. Some studies explain the high cost of the Brazilian Social Security System due to the assumption that there is a positive relationship between social security and poverty alleviation. In fact, the effectiveness of this instrument as reducing poverty was high until 2002, but stopped growing and fell slightly thereafter. Brazilian law provides that wives and children or stepchildren under age 21, or under 25, since they are college students, are welfare beneficiaries. In other words they are protected by Brazilian Social Security System. However, data reveals that in Brazil, children and young people have a very low social security direct coverage, which increases with age and reaches high levels for individuals aged 60 or older. Children and young people are the groups most affected by poverty and extreme poverty in Brazil. In this sense, the assumption according to which Social Security helps combat family poverty is flawed. Considering these issues, this article aims to contribute to the debate on the need to rethink the Brazilian Social Security System and the need of construction of specific policies for children and young people in Brazil.