Nilda Rivadeneira, age 60, is a loyal frontline essential worker. Suddenly, due to drastic pension policy reforms instituted recently by the government of Argentina, her retirement dreams are fading. Rivadeneira, who lives in the rural northern part of Buenos Aires province, has become a high-profile spokesperson within the movement. She cleans houses hourly, bringing home a monthly check of less than $300. As she nears her 60th birthday this coming August, she faces a precarious situation. President Javier Milei’s new government has changed the rules, suddenly making it expensive and troublesome for her to claim her pension.
Rivadeneira’s professional career, both in theater and film, has lasted over 30 years. In the meantime, he’s held traditional work as well as many other informal sectors jobs. Her basic, non-contributory pension was intended to be a fall-back. Now, new state and federal reforms threaten to take those benefits that she has just recently begun to earn after decades of hard work.
A Lifetime of Work in Jeopardy
Rivadeneira’s dynamic career launched when she became a parent at the young age of 20. She had decided to forgo her education and commit herself to being a homemaker. She’s done an incredible job of juggling her family duties with her burgeoning career. With 17 years in traditional employment and nearly two decades in the gig economy, she has an established career. Despite her extensive contributions, the pension moratorium law passed under former President Alberto Fernández, which offered a path to pension access for those lacking 30 years of contributions, has been curtailed under the current administration.
The Argentinean pension system has very high coverage. Indeed, 95% of those aged 65 or older are said to receive some type of pension. Even with the pension bonus added in, the minimum pension doesn’t reach $300. Monthly updates tied to inflation provide some relief, yet they are insufficient for many like Rivadeneira who rely on these payments.
“I hope that, beyond having a headache or feeling tired, I can still be healthy enough to keep working,” – Nilda
Her case is more complex. If her current employers finalize her new status, she will lose her accumulated contributions and her capacity to continue working.
The Impact of Pension Reforms
For workers like Rivadeneira, the pension moratorium was an essential lifeline. It allowed them to pay into a plan by directly deducting from their pensions through as many as 120 payments. That alternative has now been eliminated altogether by Milei’s administration, leaving Rivadeneira and thousands of others hanging by a thread. Without this help, she risks losing all her previous investments and the chance of a lifetime of work with no financial stability.
“It’s impossible, impossible. Even if my children helped me, I can’t afford it,” – Nilda
For Rivadeneira, who rides two kilometers each way to her job as an economic empowerment advocate, the threat of losing her home is always on her mind. The impulse to serve is what drives her commitment to going above and beyond in her work. She fights through chronic illness and exhaustion to provide for herself and her two children.
Broader Implications for Argentine Workers
The changes introduced by President Milei’s government reflect broader shifts in Argentina’s approach to pensions and social welfare. Christian González D’Alessandro’s statement highlights the growing expectation to raise the age of eligibility for benefits.
“the age of eligibility for a benefit for women will inevitably be raised.” – Christian González D’Alessandro
Such actions could set dangerous precedent for workers nationwide who rely on these benefits in their later years. This is an enormous hardship for women like Rivadeneira, who have balanced careers with their roles as caregivers to parents and children.
Despite these hurdles, Rivadeneira remains resilient. Her will to stay healthy and continue fighting is a true testament to her power. More broadly, it brings into focus the plight of so many Argentine workers in this economically and politically turbulent moment.
