A retiree says:

“I put on two or three pairs of thick socks and a vest.”

Shivering starting in the fall: Maria (74) has already laid out her jackets, socks, vests, and sweaters. In the winter, the woman living on the minimum pension has her apartment heated to only 17 degrees—and there’s hardly any money left for food.(Bild: Mario Urbantschitsch)

About 190,000 people in Austria can’t make ends meet on their pensions; two-thirds of them are women. One of them is Maria (74): She worked her whole life, raised three children on her own, and yet still freezes every winter in her small apartment. We spoke with her—and with those who are fighting for her.

When was the last time you wondered whether you could afford to heat your home? For Maria, this isn’t a question—it’s everyday life. The days are getting colder, and the 74-year-old is starting to do the math again—even more than she already has to: “It’s hard for me because I can never afford it,” she tells us during our visit.