Gender and pension individualisation: the case of Greece

Within pension reforms in Europe, one of the policy trends with significant gender implications is a gradual emphasis on individual pension rights based on labour market participation and the recognition of periods of care, and a decrease in the importance of derived pension rights for women’s pension income. The paper analyses six pension reforms in Greece between 1982-2002 to illustrate a gradual shift towards greater pension individualisation for women. It argues that unless this shift is coordinated with employment and family policies that allow both women and men to build adequate individual pension rights, greater pension individualisation could have adverse consequences for those with weak links to the labour market