Gender inequality haunts current societies until old age. This is confirmed by the data on the amounts of retirement received in Spain under the General Social Security Regime. An economic imbalance marked mainly by the impact of having a child on the lives of women and that the real complement to the gender gap aims to reduce.
Established a little over a year ago, it will be in force until it is possible to “shorten the distance between the contributory retirement pensions of women and men below 5%.” After the revaluation applied in 2022, its amount will be 29.30 euros per month per child in 2023 and women and men beneficiaries of contributory pensions for permanent disability, widowhood or retirement will have the right to collect it. It is limited to one parent. José Luis Escrivá’s cabinet has already granted the bonus to almost two thirds of the new pensioners, 64% more than a year ago.
Despite the fact that we live in a time that registers historical data on the incorporation of women to work, skyrocketing since the 1970s, they are the ones who continue to assume most of the burden of childcare tasks. A job, an effort, unpaid despite an equivalent to more than 30% of GDP, which results in a penalty in their salaries during their working life and, later, in their retirement. According to the latest data published by the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, the gender gap among new retirees stands at 28.1%, that is, a pensioner earns 28.1% more than a woman who receives a pension
This is an inequality that has been diminishing over time, thanks to an unprecedented cultural change, but also due to the intervention of the public powers, which have approved measures such as maternity, parenting and even the schooling of the little ones. All this, in order to expand the options for families and that mothers have options on how to raise their babies. The difference can be appreciated if the average of the new pensions is compared with the older ones, where the gap between the amounts of men and women shoots up to 50%.
The latest data from the General Treasury of Social Security confirm that 62.7% of women who retire receive benefits of less than a thousand euros. A situation that contrasts with the 42% of men who live in this situation. Meanwhile, the maximum benefits in these represent 7.2% of the total and only 3% among women. Or what is the same, the percentage of women who need a minimum supplement to reach the minimum benefit exceeds 32%, compared to 16% of men.
These are the only incompatibilities to access the plus
To receive the supplement, you must prove that you are the father/mother of between one and four children and be beneficiaries of a contributory pension. In addition, the person who requests it must take into account that the gender bonus can only be received by one parent per family. In the event that the parents are two women, the right to the benefit will be recognized for the one who receives the lowest amount. Since February 2021 there are already 338,629 mothers who have been granted the plus of the 540,000 women who have withdrawn in total.
The only pensioners who cannot receive the supplement are those who opt for partial retirement, and even in this case, the Age Security that corresponds in each case.” This is one of the big differences with respect to the previous maternity supplement, where it was not applied to early retirement of their own free will.
The maternity bonus established by the Executive of Mariano Rajoy was knocked down by the European Justice for this pejorative nature, since it did not allow access to it either to women who only had one child or to men who saw their careers harmed by becoming charge of upbringing. Meanwhile, the gender gap complement that came hand in hand with the PSOE coalition with Unidas Podemos compensates only the new pensioners for these family responsibilities, but not those who had previously accessed theirs.
And, what requirements must a man meet to be entitled to the supplement? December 31, 1994 adoption case, between the date of the judicial decision establishing it and the following three years, provided that the sum of the amounts is less than that corresponding to the woman.
It is also reflected in the case of having sons or daughters born or adopted since January 1, 1995, where the sum of the contribution bases for the twenty-four months following the birth or the court decision constituting the adoption is lower, by more than 15%, than that of the twenty-four immediately preceding months. In total, 26,243 retired men received this supplement.
