Housewives’ Old-Age Pension in Ecuador: Who Makes the Decision? A Look at Intra-Household Relations

This paper reviews the social security policy affiliation designed for housewives in Ecuador. It argues that this project may deliberately or inadvertently presume idealized and harmonious families as arenas of cooperation and solidarity. However, by the hand of extensive knowledge on intra-household resource allocation and welfare regimes, evidence is provided to understand the determinants among the key institutions, family, market and state, that lead to the exclusion of housewives and the strengthening of dependence on their families.