The Cuban regime announced that the years spent caring for family members can be counted as work time for retirement purposes, with a limit of 10 years, according to the Minister of Labor and Social Security, Jesús Otamendiz Campos, who spoke on Friday during the Mesa Redonda.
The measure is part of the package of 176 economic and social transformations approved by the National Assembly of People's Power on June 18 and 19, 2026, which encompasses 23 thematic areas.
Minister Otamendiz explained the specific details of the provision: "If you need to have worked for 30 years to qualify for retirement, out of those 30, ten can be counted as the years you dedicated to family care," as long as there is evidence to certify that dedication.
The official described the measure as "deeply humane" and pointed out that it will primarily benefit women, "who often bear the weight of caregiving at home."
Otamendiz acknowledged that among those affected by this situation are "teachers, doctors, scientists, academics with great courage and a strong sense of humanity" who had to interrupt their professional lives to take on caregiving responsibilities, which prevented them from accumulating the required years of formal work to qualify for a pension.
The government is still working on the procedures to certify that time and provide legal backing, reviewing practices from other countries in the region.
The minister specified that the measure must be implemented before the comprehensive update of the Social Security Law, scheduled for 2027.
The design of the transformation involved the participation of the Advisory Technical Council of the Ministry of Labor, composed of academics from the University of Havana, as well as the faculties of Economics and Sociology, and CUJAE.
The measure also responds to the serious demographic crisis that the island is experiencing. Cuba is the oldest country in Latin America, with 25.7% of its population aged over 60 by the end of 2024 and a fertility rate of only 1.29 children per woman.
In 2025, only 68,051 children were born, the lowest number since records began, while deaths nearly doubled the number of births.
This accelerated aging puts pressure on a pension system that is already at its limit: the minimum pension is 4,000 pesos per month, less than 10 dollars, compared to an estimated basic basket of 12,000 pesos.
90.7% of retirees work after retirement, primarily in the informal economy, to supplement incomes that do not meet their needs.
The new recognition of family caregiving expands upon what was established by Decree-Law 121 in February 2025, which already considered the time spent caring for children with severe disabilities as computable service time for retirement.
Otamendiz described the measure as "a concrete response to the women's advancement program, to the demographic situation in the country, and to the care system that we want to implement and develop in the coming years in Cuba."
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