if established as a right with no waiting lists and easy application procedures these types of schemes can also limit discretion in benefit allocation and clientelistic use in one way or another they all address the protection of women in old age while considering their role in the family however the basis for the entitlement and the family model they assume and promote differ among them most contributory social insurance systems offer survivor pensions but there is substantial crosscountry variation in the types and amounts of benefits they provide