The share of women retirees in Çorum is below Turkey's. SGK 2025 data on older women's livelihoods, survivor's pensions and the psychological effects.
At the beginning of the month, a woman in her seventies who lives alone in an apartment joins the queue at the bank. The money she withdraws is not from her own work, but the pension left from the retirement of the husband she lost years ago. All her life she worked in the fields, at home, caring for children and older relatives; yet she was never "retired". According to the Social Security Institution's (SGK) 2025 Statistical Yearbook, out of every 100 people in Çorum who receive an old-age pension in their own name, that is, who retired through their own work, only around 14 are women. In Turkey the figure is around 22. In this article we look at why the share of women retirees in Çorum is low, and what this means for older women's livelihoods and inner worlds.
Women Retirees in Çorum: What Do the Figures Say?
Data compiled from the provincial tables of the SGK 2025 Statistical Yearbook show how much weight retirement carries in the city's daily life:
- Total number of people receiving a pension or benefit: 125,211. This is about 24% of the provincial population; in Turkey it is about 20%. In other words, roughly one in every four people in Çorum receives a pension or benefit from the SGK.
- People receiving an old-age pension in their own name: 87,770; about 17% of the population (Turkey about 14%).
- Women's share among them: 13.6%. In Turkey, 22.4%.
- Under the SSK scheme (4A, private-sector employees): Of the 61,413 people receiving an old-age pension, 7,297 are women (11.9%). In Turkey this share is 21.6%.
- Under the Emekli Sandığı scheme (4C, civil servants): Women's share is 16.4%; in Turkey 31.0%.
- Women receiving a survivor's pension from their late husband: 24,062.
Putting these figures side by side reveals a striking picture: in Çorum, while the number of women receiving an old-age pension through their own work remains at around 12,000, the number of women living on the pension left by their husband is more than twice that. For many older women, their livelihood is an extension not of their own labour but of their husband's working life.
In addition, the share of people receiving a pension or benefit under Bağ-Kur (4B, the self-employed) is 21.1% in Çorum, above Turkey's 17.2%, and a third of these (33.2%) are insured as farmers. This shows the weight of shopkeeper and farmer retirement in the province.
The overall picture for older women
According to TÜİK (Turkish Statistical Institute) data cited in the Central Black Sea Development Agency's (OKA) 2021 feasibility report on elderly care:
- In Çorum, older single-person households make up 53.4% of single-person households, putting the province first in Turkey.
- The proportion of older people who say "I am happy" is 49.7%; the third lowest of any province.
- Of the 73,454 older people (by the report's definition), 40,712 are women.
The fact that women live longer than men suggests that a significant proportion of older people living alone after losing a spouse are women.
The limits of the data
SGK data show numbers of people; they do not show in detail the amounts of pensions or whether a person receives both their own pension and their husband's survivor's pension together. No provincial data could be found on living on a pension or continuing to work in retirement. The figures on older people's happiness and older people living alone relate to 2019–2020; current values may differ. Some of the percentages were calculated by us from the raw numbers in the SGK tables.
A Sociological Reading: Why Are There So Few Women Retirees in Çorum?
Behind this picture lie several possible, interconnected factors.
Informal and unpaid work: In the youth of today's older women, women's labour in rural Çorum was largely spent in the fields and at home, as unpaid family workers. Because this labour did not turn into insurance contributions, it did not create a right to a pension either. These women did not "not work"; their work simply went unrecorded.
Leaving working life on marriage: Some of the women who worked in paid jobs in the city gave up work on marriage or the arrival of children. Jobs left before the required contribution days were completed resulted in having no pension of one's own in old age.
The burden of care: The care of children, husbands and older relatives falling to women limited the time available for paid work. Today, too, the high proportion of older people in Çorum suggests that this burden continues from generation to generation.
Education and the generation gap: A significant proportion of today's older women grew up with little education. Although schooling is known to have increased among younger generations of women, it will take time for this change to be reflected in retirement statistics.
These factors are not the choices of individuals but the result of a generation's living conditions. This is why the picture must not be read in a language that blames any woman for "not having thought about her own future".
A Psychological Reading: The Inner World of Having No Pension of One's Own
Financial dependence and self-worth
For a woman without her own income, money is not just a means of living but the power to make decisions. Giving pocket money to a grandchild, going to visit a friend, buying something for herself... Living on her husband's or her children's money can create a sense of having to ask permission even for these small decisions. Some women take this as natural; others carry an inner hurt, feeling "I worked all my life, but I have nothing in my hands".
Grieving unseen work
Old age is a time when people look back and take stock of their lives. A woman who spent her life caring for others may experience a kind of grief when she realises that this work was never "counted" anywhere. This grief is often not put into words; it shows itself as reproach, irritability or silence.
Losing a husband, and a second loss
For a woman who loses her husband, the survivor's pension provides financial security. But the same pension can also be something that recalls a loss every month. For women who feel that, with their husband's death, they have lost both their life companion and the financial foundation of their life, grief can become more complicated. Our article on losing a spouse may also offer guidance on the grieving process after the loss of a partner.
Loneliness
The fact that the proportion of older people living alone in Çorum is among the highest in Turkey makes loneliness an important issue for older women. Studies in Turkey (e.g. Akbaş and colleagues, 2020) count retirement and role changes among the risk factors for loneliness in old age. For women without a pension of their own, "retirement" is not even a rite of passage; when the children grow up and leave and the husband is lost, the structure of life changes quietly.
Let us imagine a woman nearing eighty who has moved from Sungurlu to the city centre, near her son. In the village she sat in the garden with her neighbours every day and baked bread in the tandır (a traditional clay oven); now she spends her days on the third floor of an apartment block with the television. Her son and daughter-in-law are at work. Her pension is enough, but she feels like "a spare part". The issue here is not just money; it is the loss of role, of surroundings and of meaning.
A qualitative study with retirees in Turkey (Boduroğlu, Şahin and Çiftçi, 2025) reports that hopelessness, loneliness and loss of identity can lead to social isolation, while social support is protective. Although women without a pension of their own are not the direct subject of these studies, they may experience a similar loss of role, and in an invisible way. When changes such as children leaving home, the loss of a husband and moving to a new home come one after another, a person's resources for adjusting are put under strain.
What women who have cared for others all their lives need most in old age is to be seen and to feel that they are still valued.
Not Only Vulnerability: Older Women's Resources
It would be incomplete to read this picture only as a story of vulnerability. Çorum's older women represent a generation that grew up in hard conditions, lived through scarcity, migration and loss, and still managed to hold the family together. This experience is a living example of what psychology calls "resilience".
Among the strengths commonly found in older women are:
- Social relationship skills: Long experience of building and maintaining networks of neighbours, relatives and solidarity.
- Sources of meaning: Grandchildren, traditions, food and stories to pass on can provide a strong sense of meaning in old age.
- Ability to adapt: Having adapted throughout life to changes stretching from village to city and from crowded households to small ones.
When planning support, it is important to see these resources. Rather than treating an older woman only as "someone to be looked after", drawing on her knowledge and experience strengthens her self-worth. Asking for a recipe, asking her to tell you about an old bayram (Turkey's religious holidays), or making room for her to share a handicraft with her grandchildren are small but effective steps.
Practical Suggestions for Older Women, Families and Younger Women
For older women:
- Ask for a small financial space of your own. A small budget over which you can make your own decisions reduces the sense of dependence.
- Protect your social ties. Visits to neighbours, gatherings in the neighbourhood, public education courses and meeting relatives are an important support against loneliness.
- Do not hesitate to share your feelings. Staying silent so as "not to be a burden" can deepen loneliness.
For adult children and families:
- Make your mother's work visible. Telling her that what she did in the past was valuable can have a stronger effect than you might expect.
- Offer financial support without taking away her right to make decisions. Asking "What do you need?" instead of "We bought you this" protects her dignity.
- Keep in touch regularly and predictably. Calls or visits on set days create a sense of security for an older person living alone.
- Put her view at the centre of decisions about moving into her home or taking her into yours.
For younger and middle-aged women:
- Think about your own social security. Looking into options such as registered work, even part-time, or voluntary insurance can help ensure you have your own income in the future.
- Discuss financial decisions together within the family. Talking about money is not shameful; it is necessary for the health of the relationship.
When Should You Seek Professional Support?
Sadness and loneliness experienced in old age are not always a mental health problem. However, if the following signs are present, it can be helpful for both the older woman herself and her relatives to consult a professional:
- Lack of motivation, loss of interest, or not wanting to eat or leave the house, lasting for weeks
- Remarks such as "I'm no use to anyone any more" or "I wish I could just die"
- Marked disruption of sleep, constant tiredness
- Grief having brought life to a complete halt long after the loss of a husband
- Increasing forgetfulness, difficulty with daily tasks (in this case a medical assessment is also needed)
Depression in old age can often be missed because it is mistaken for "the natural state of being old". You can find more detailed information in our article on depression in old age. If your older relative talks about wanting to die or there is a risk of self-harm, take it seriously; in an emergency, call 112 (emergency services).
How Are Old Age, Grief and Feelings of Worthlessness Addressed in Therapy?
In old age, therapy can often be a more effective support than people assume. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) focuses on noticing thoughts such as "I'm useless" or "I'm a burden to everyone" and reassessing them alongside the person's life story. Through behavioural activation, activities during the day that give meaning and enjoyment can be gradually increased.
Talking about one's life story makes past work and resilience visible. A schema therapy perspective can help in understanding how lifelong patterns such as "self-sacrifice" can turn into loneliness in old age.
Adult children who worry about their older mother can also address their own feelings of guilt and the burden of care in individual therapy. Sessions can be held face to face in Çorum, or continued online for adult children living outside the province. Where needed, an assessment by a psychiatrist is recommended.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the share of women retirees in Çorum lower than in Turkey?
A significant proportion of today's older women worked unpaid and unregistered in the fields and at home, or left working life on marriage. Because this labour did not turn into insurance contributions, they did not build up their own pension rights. As a result, women's share among those receiving an old-age pension in their own name is 13.6% in Çorum and 22.4% in Turkey.
Why can living on a late husband's pension be psychologically difficult?
This pension provides financial security; but for some women it can bring a feeling that it is not the reward for their own work, and remind them of their husband's loss every month. Having someone to talk to about these feelings lightens the load.
How can I support my older mother who lives alone?
Regular contact, respect for her decisions and helping her maintain her social circle are important. If you notice a marked withdrawal or hopelessness in her behaviour, do not hesitate to talk about it and, if necessary, to consult a professional.
If I'm a homemaker, what can I do about retirement?
Getting information from the SGK about options such as voluntary insurance and registered work opportunities can be a first step. Thinking about your financial future is not selfishness; it is a responsibility towards yourself and your family.
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Eda Erkan Alapala
Klinik Psikolog. İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi Klinik Psikoloji Tezli Yüksek Lisans mezunu; bilişsel davranışçı terapi, çocuk merkezli oyun terapisi ve çocuk-ergen psikoterapisi alanlarında eğitimlerini tamamlamıştır.
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