Pension system and social support for older adults in Mexico, 1979-2019

The aim of this article is to characterize the old-age support system that has been built from public policy in Mexico. To this end, it will present the development of three elements that accommodate the responses to the difficulties older adults face in Mexico: the institutional framework, the mechanisms of action and the pension system. Institutionality arises with the creation and operation of national institutes for older adults that have had a differentiated impact over time. The mechanisms are materialized with the different policies and programs generated to attenuate the vulnerability of the old-age population through actions such as monetary transfers, health care and labor support, etc. The current pension system is divided into a contributory and a non-contributory scheme. The contributory model has traditionally targeted formal workers, who make up 40 per cent of the workforce, leaving the vast majority of older adults unprotected. To assist those without a contributory pension, the Mexican state has tried to organize a non-contributory model to bridge the gap between formal and informal workers.