Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Pension policy in the European Union: Responses to the changing division of labor in family life

  • Articles
  • Published:
Gender Issues Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this articles the authors analyze pension rights in the national pension schemes of the European Union countries from a gender perspective by using the mainstream regime-type framework based on the work of Esping-Andersen. An important aspect of pension benefits is the extent to which they allow individual claims for benefits or ‘family’ recipients through derived benefits or household means testing. Individual pension rights refer to a person's own insurance record or residence-based rights whereas derived rights are based on a spouse's insurance record. From the gender perspective, the authors examine how policymakers have responded in pension policies to challenges due to changes in the gender division of labor and the reshaping of the family institution.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anttonen A and Sipilä J. (1996). European social care services: is it possible to identify models? Journal of European Social Policy Vol 6 (2), 87–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arts, W. and Gelissen J. (2002). Three worlds of welfare capitalism or more?. Journal of European Social Policy Vol. 12 (2): 137–158.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • COM (2002): Draft joint report by the Commission and the Council on Adequate and sustainable pensions. 17.12.2002.

  • Council of the European Union (2001). Quality and viability of pensions—Joint report on objectives and working methods in the area of pensions. 14098/01. Brussels, 23 November 2001.

  • Council of the European Union (2003). Draft joint report by the Commission and the Council on adequate and sustainable pensions. 6527/1/03. Brussels, 26 January 2003.

  • Employment Rates Report 1998.

  • Esping-Andersen G. (1990) Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism. Great Britain. Princeton Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Esping-Andersen G, Gallie D, Hemerijck A, and Myles J (2002). Why We Need a New Welfare State. Oxford University Press.

  • Van Doorne-Huiskes A., den Dulk L. and Schippers J. (1998), Epilogue: Towards new patterns of responsibility for work-family policies? Amsterdam, in Work-Family Arrangements in Europe. Thesis Publishers.

  • Den Dulk L. and Remery C. (1997). Work-family arrangements in organisation, in K. Tijdens, A. van Doorne-Huiskes and T. Willemsen (eds) Time allocation and Gender. The relationship between paid labor and household work. Tilburg University Press, Tilburg, Netherlands.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferrera, M. (1996). The “Southern” Model of Welfare in Social Europe. Journal of European Social Policy 6 (1): 17–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • The future of the European Employment Strategy (EES) “A strategy of full employment and better jobs for all” Communication from the Commission to the Council, The European Parliament, The Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. Brussels 14.1.2003.

  • Ginn J. and Arber S. (1996). Patterns of Employment, Gender and Pensions: The Effect of Work History on Older Women's Non-State Pensions. Work, Employment & Society, Vol. 10, No. 3, pp. 469–490.1

    Google Scholar 

  • Ginn J. and Arber S. (1999), Changing patterns of pension inequality: the shift from state to private sources. Aging and Society, Vol. 19, Part 3, 319–342.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ginn J., Street D. and Arber S. (2001), Gross-national trends in women's work. In J. Ginn, D. Street and S. Arber (eds), Women, Work and Pensions. Open University Press.

  • Gornick J. C., Meyers M. K. and Ross K. E. (1997), Supporting the employment of mothers: policy variation across fourteen welfare states. Journal of European Social Policy Vol. 7 (1): 45–70.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hatland A. (2001). Changing family patterns: A challenge to social security. In M. Kautto, J. Fritzell, B. Hvinden, J. Kvist and H. Uusitalo (eds.). Nordic Welfare States in the European Context. London.

  • Hutton S. (1998). Progress Report. Incomes in retirement in the U.K.: Changes in the debate since 1996 and prospects for the future. Aging and Society, Vol. 18, 1998, 611–626.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laitinen-Kuikka S. (2002). Avoimen koordinaation menetelmän soveltaminen eläkepolitiikassa. In Saari Juho (et.) Euroopan sosiaalinen ulottuvuus. Sociaali—ja terveysturvan keskusliitto ry. Helsinki.

  • Laitinen-kuikka S., Bach J., Vidlund M. (2002). Eläketurva Länsi-Euroopassa. The Finnish Centre for Pensions.

  • Meulders D. (1996), Individualisation of rights and social protection. International Social Security Association, European Conference: Adapting to new economic and social realities: what challenges, opportunities and new tasks for social security? Aarhus 19–21, November 1996.

  • O'Connor, J. S., Orloff A. and Shaver S. (1999). States, Market, Families. Gender, Liberalism and Social Policy in Australia, Canada, Great Britain and the United States. Cambridge: University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Orloff A. S. (1993). Gender and the Social Rights of Citizenship: a Comparative Analysis of Gender relations and Welfare States. American Sociological Review 58 (3)L 303–328.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palmer Edward (1999), Exit from Labor Force for Older Workers: Can the NDC Pension System Help? The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance Vol. 24, No. 4 (October 1999), Oxford.

  • Trifiletti R. (1999). Southern European welfare regimes and the worsening position of women. Journal of European Social Policy, Vol. 9 (1): 49–64.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tuominen E. and Laitinen-Kuikka S. (2002), Female employment, unpaid work and retirement pensions in the EU. Paper to be presented at the XI Nordic Social Policy Research Meeting Helsinki 22–24 August 2002, WG 10: Gender, Work and Family

  • Van Stigt J., van Doorne-Huiskes A. and Schippers J (1998), European regulation and initiatives on work-family policies, in L. den Dulk, A van Doorne-Huiskes and J. Schippers (eds.) Work-Family arrangements in Europe. Amsterdam. Thesis Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vidlund M. (2001). Eläkkeistä ulkomailla: Ison-Britannian eläkeuudistus. Eläketurvakeskusen katsauksia 2001: 5.

  • Windebank, J. (1996). To what extent can social policy challenge the dominant ideology of mothering? A cross-national comparison of Sweden, France and Britain. Journal of European Social Policy, 6, 147–161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Tuominen, E., Laitinen-Kuikka, S. Pension policy in the European Union: Responses to the changing division of labor in family life. Gend. Issues 22, 46–78 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12147-005-0019-x

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12147-005-0019-x

Keywords

Navigation