Pension reform in France and its impact on inequalities between men and women

Carole Bonnet, Institut National d'Études Démographiques (INED)
Sophie Buffeteau, Institut National de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques (INSEE)
Pascal Godefroy, Institut National de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques (INSEE)

Men’s and women’s pensions and retirement ages are today very different, even if this gap has been closing (slowly) for the most recent generations. This work follows possible developments till 2040. We first study the impact on future pension rights and on disparities between the genders of the rise in womens’ participation in the labour market since the early 70s. Simulations carried out with the Destinie microsimulation model conclude that the gender gap will continue to close till 2040, essentially because of the rise in women’s years of contribution. Secondly, we study the gender impact of pension reforms since the 90s. According to our simulations, the 1993 reform may have had a more negative impact on women’s pensions than on men’s, but the 2003 reform had less differential impact.