In recent months, new pension gender gap supplements have been mainly awarded to men rather than women. In the November payroll, out of a total of nearly 37,000 recognized supplements “they were for men in 15,324 cases”, or 55%, the CCOO union estimated on Friday. A percentage which has increased since last May, when European justice judged this bonus discriminatory for parents, and which is still awaiting a Social Security reform.
The supplement against the gender gap in pensions was approved in 2021, designed by the team of the then minister José Luis Escriva to replace the old maternity supplement to pensions of the Rajoy government, which had also been declared discriminatory against parents by European justice, in 2019.
The bonus in question represents a fixed amount which is added to the pension, of 35.90 euros per month for each son or daughter, up to four times this amount. The law states that mothers must receive it and, although fathers can also receive it, they must prove additional requirements affecting their career after becoming parents (which European justice has considered discriminatory).
After this ruling, Social Security recognized the supplement to fathers who requested it on an equal footing with mothers, which increased its perception among fathers.
Since May, the pensions of men receiving the bonus have almost doubled, with an increase of more than 90%, from 115,300 in May to almost 227,000. Meanwhile, women’s pension premiums increased by 12% over this period, to a million.
Thus, women continue to be the vast majority of beneficiaries of this supplement (82%), but more and more men benefit from it, with a strong and progressive increase in the new ones recognized in recent months.
Men are retiring earlier and becoming older fathers
The CCOO union once again demanded this Friday from the Ministry of Social Security a reform of the supplement in question, precisely to prevent it from ultimately contributing to increasing the gender gap in pensions, instead of reducing it.
“The age difference that fathers and mothers of the same child generally have and the different contribution careers of men and women mean that men reach retirement age, generally even earlier than women and, therefore, are the first to receive the gender gap supplement,” explains the union.
The bonus can only be received by one of the two parents for the same child and goes to the parent with the lowest pension, which women usually receive. However, current legislation states that the bonus must be requested, and CCOO therefore fears that once the man is recognized, women will not claim it later.
This is why the union asked Social Security to modify the law so that the automatic supplement is recognized for the parent with the lowest pension, which would generally benefit women.
The revision of this plus has been on the social dialogue table for months, but still without agreement with the social agents. The ministry of Elma Saiz proposed a reform according to which the supplement would only be recognized to parents (man or woman) who demonstrate an impact on their professional career after having a child.
This possibility, more restrictive of the bonus, even if it would also make the bonus fall more on women, would reduce the number of beneficiaries, since there are women who do not reduce or do not interrupt their working hours after having children. But unions warn that in many cases these workers face certain sanctions during their careers, for example if they do not extend their hours, if they are not promoted or do not apply for certain positions.
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