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The institution of the survivor’s pension is underpinned by a view of marriage where the husband is the sole breadwinner. The survivor’s pension is a derived entitlement by which the husband’s contributions earn a pension entitlement for his wife if he predeceases her. It is difficult to integrate criteria for an entitlement based on marriage into a social protection scheme based on work. Should a certain length of marriage be a requirement for a survivor’s pension? What happens to the entitlement of a divorced woman? Should the survivor’s pension be stopped if the beneficiary remarries? How should the wife’s earned income and earned pension entitlement be taken into account? Should her assets be taken into account? From what age should a widow be allowed to receive the pension? What about the entitlement of a young widow who is raising a child? Different pension systems have chosen different solutions, which have evolved over the course of their histories. The rules defining entitlement to a survivor’s pension are a legal reflection of a certain view of marriage and the status of women, which varies over time and between countries. This article analyses the history of the rules on survivor’s pensions under the French general scheme, from its foundation until the changes introduced by the pension reform of 2003.