The Argentine government is seeking to redress that gender inequity by assigning a pension contribution value to the time people have spent raising children.

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The programme, launched this week, marks the first time the role of an unpaid caregiver has been recognised by the Argentine state as something akin to work. The policy is expected to enable 155,000 more women to collect a pension immediately.

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As of August 1, women can earn the equivalent of one year of social security contributions for every child they have raised, or the equivalent of two years per child who has been adopted or has a disability. The contribution increases to the equivalent of three years per child if the woman previously received a low-income child subsidy.

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The programme is available to any woman who is at least 60 years of age and who has not been able to accrue 30 years of pension contributions.

Recognising the value of caregiving
Once someone turns 65 in Argentina, they are entitled to collect a pension from the state, even if they did not make contributions during their working life. But at around 23,000 pesos a month ($237), it is below the poverty line and less than the pension received by those who retire under the general scheme, which is built on worker contributions, and includes this new programme.

“Women and men do not have the same opportunities in the formal job market,” said Fernanda Raverta, the executive director of Argentina’s National Social Security Administration (ANSES) during a press conference on July 13 alongside President Alberto Fernandez.

“This measure highlights the fact that women effectively work more and recognises the value of care [work] in the right to access a retirement,” Raverta added.

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