Women and the right to state benefits

21_Women and the right to state benefits_JR

It was only in 1987 that women gained equal accessibility to social benefits previously exclusive to men. The amendments made to the legislation governing the National Social Security Fund granted women the right to collect end-of-service indemnities from the NSSF at the same age as men, 60 years old, whereas they used to have to collect them five years earlier, at the age of 55 (Article 51 of the Social Security Law – SSL). These amendments were nevertheless not comprehensive, leaving out some stipulations that perpetuated “insecurity and inequality” for women in the workplace. Article 3 of the Labour Law and Article 46 of the SSL underline the aforementioned discrepancy; they offer welfare packages to male workers and civil servants whereby they can receive compensation if their wives do not work, while female employees are only eligible to receive such compensation if their husbands are deceased or have a disability that prevents them from working. Similarly, Articles 10 and 14 of the SSL do not extend the SSL coverage and other social benefits to the unemployed husbands of women employees.