| Summary: | The aim of this study is to examine what effects the pension reforms of 1935 and 1946 had on the poor relief rates of old age pensioners, in Sweden between the years 1930 and 1950. Unlike earlierstudies the focus is on how different groups of pensioners were affected. Salonens theoreticalframework on subsistence is used, which states that an individuals subsistence is based on incomesand expenditures in relation to the market, the family and the state. Both quantitative and qualitativemethods are used. By studying governmental investigations, the study finds that the purpose of thereform of 1935 was to favor women and the urban elders, while the favored groups by the reform of1946 were the urban elders as well as elders in one person households. The 1935 reform did notaffect the favored groups notably since the pensions were too small. The larger pensions of 1946however did substantially even out the poor relief rates between different elders. After theimplementation in 1948 the difference in poor relief rates between different elders was almost nonexistent. This was due to a substantially larger drop in the poor relief rates of the urban elders aswell as amongst elders in one person households. By studying different incomes of old agepensioners, the study finds that the pensioners with the greatest need of the 1946 years largerpensions were the urban men, the rural women, as well as the one person households in both ruraland urban areas. In conclusion this study finds that the reform of 1935 was unsuccessful insupporting the more vulnerable elders, while the reform of 1946 was successful in that matter.
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