Gender and the politics of the 1990–92 pension reforms in Greece

Abstract

English This article aims to illuminate the gender dimension of the pension reform debate in Greece between 1990 and 1992. Based on the 1990–92 pension reforms and the political debate preceding them, the article argues that the government had a confused understanding of gender equality, resulting in a selective application of the concept that was hardly in women's interests. Two factors may account for the marginalisation of gender during this debate: first, the initial definition of the pension problem that was blind to gender inequalities within the system, and second, the lack of an organised mechanism to protect and promote women's financial independence and right of choice in the pension system.