working-woman-cc-SA-by-Michael-SurranACRI submitted its position to the Public Committee that is reviewing a proposal to raise the retirement age for women from 62 years of age to 64. ACRI’s position is that as a precondition to raising the retirement age, the State must adopt effective measures to encourage the employment of women in middle age and older ages, and work to ensure the livelihood of disadvantaged women who are out of the workforce before the current age of retirement. The retirement age for women must not be increased without taking measures to ensure employment and livelihood for women until they begin drawing a pension.
A position paper by Attorney Sigal Ronen Katz, reviews the nature of employment of women in the labor market in Israel and the lack of equality between men and women, which exists from when they enter the job market and worsens as they age: Gap in wages; part-time jobs and / or through agencies; breaks from work due to maternity leave and caring for children and parents; exclusion and discrimination of older women in the labor market and more. As a result, women reach middle age with fewer economic assets, pensions and employment than men. The participation rate of older women in the labor market is lower than the participation of men, and women are emitted from the labor force at a younger age than men. There is already a large group of women laid off from the labor market, even before they reach the current retirement age.
ACRI proposes a series of steps to integrate older women into the labor market, including professional development courses; development of learning programs that will enable older workers in general and women in particular to remain in the labor market until retirement age; incentives for employers to employ adults in general and in particular older women; and providing incentives for women to persevere in their work beyond the current retirement age.
Please click here to read the position paper (in Hebrew).
