France: Unions reject anti-women pension reform
On the eve of this year’s International Women's Day, the French affiliates of BWI have once again took to the streets all over France to protest a pension reform project that is detrimental to women workers. The protesting workers underscored women workers’ salaries and pensions, which they said remain lower than those of men.
The proposed pension reform seeks to fix the retirement age at 64, which trade unions said will only worsen workers’ economic situation, particularly those of women. Trade unions explained that twice as many women work until the age of 67, and 40 percent retire with incomplete pensions. Women’s pensions are 40 percent lower than men's, while their wages are still 25 percent lower on average than men in 2023. This is attributed to part-time work, occupational segregation, career interruptions and unequal compensation policies, among others.
BWI’s affiliates called on the government to increase and promote the employment rate of women and realise equal pay.