ABSTRACT
Reforms intended to cut state social protection programmes and promote private sector provision have an unequal impact on the various population groups, with their effects differing according to gender and age cohort, as well as ethnicity and class. Because of gender differences in such areas as employment history, earnings and the ability to build up private pensions, the effects on women are much more serious than they are for men. Many women work part time in order to accommodate their family caring commitments, either for children or for frail relatives. The effect of the retrenchment of public pensions in terms of gender inequality in pension income will depend crucially on the extent to which women are able to maintain full-time employment throughout their working lives. A reassessment by policy-makers of the way in which pension systems treat those who provide family care is essential.
