UK. Govt urged to introduce state pension top-up for mothers
The government has been urged to introduce an additional rate of pension, on top of the single-tier state pension, for unemployed people looking after a child under 12.
Workers union Prospect called for this measure among five other solutions proposed in its 13-page report Tackling the gender pay gap, published today (1 November).
The current state pension system allows people looking after a child under the age of 12 and not working to receive credits to ensure there is no gap in their National Insurance record, and that those years count towards state pension entitlement.
However, according to Prospect, this is a form of negative protection, as it simply ensures that people with childcare responsibilities can build up as much in state pension as others.
Instead, the union said, there was a case for positive recognition of such responsibilities to “help offset the impact childcare responsibilities have on occupational pension entitlement”.
Prospect noted there was already a precedent for an additional rate of pension to be given to these individuals.
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