Women’s Work and Pensions: Drawing Reform Lessons from Poland and Central Eastern Europe

Agnieszka Chlon-Dominczak, Warsaw School of Economics

Ensuring adequate and sustainable pensions for all is one of the priorities of social policy in current times. Demographic and social processes, such as population ageing and migrations, transition from education to work, reconciliation of work and family and transition to retirement affect the well-being of the elderly today and in the future. Many events in the life course have an impact on pension level: employment and wages, child-care credits in pensions. Design of pension system also matters. This applies particularly to women facing lower employment levels and wages and having difficulties reconciling work and family life. Furthermore, economic transition in Central and Eastern Europe led to deep restructuring of labour markets, including rising unemployment and dropping employment levels. Support provided to women related to reconciliation of work and family deteriorated. The paper compares gender differences in pensions in CEE countries now and in the future.