27/05/2010 Equality and Non-Discrimination
Many elderly women are poor because they have no pension or their pension is insufficient, PACE’s Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men warned today. Also, traditional pension systems favour the linear career paths of men and are disconnected from the realities of present-day society.
Adopting a report by Anna Curdová (Czech Republic, SOC), the committee called for “fair and equitable pensions offering every man and woman a reasonable standard of living”. The adopted text urges European states to guarantee a personal pension entitlement and to revise their pension laws in order not only to prohibit discrimination between women and men but also to provide for “positive discrimination in favour of women”.
According to the parliamentarians, governments should also ensure greater solidarity between women and men when earned pension entitlement is insufficient, including positive measures to help elderly persons.
The Assembly is to debate the text in Strasbourg during its forthcoming Summer Session (21-25 June 2010).