The latest budget law extended the Women’s Option by one year but with considerable restrictions and corrective measures are now being sought to standardize the measure and make it generalised.
Among those who hope for an ad hoc intervention to return to the old version, there is the Minister of Labor Marina Calderone who has once again brought to the attention of the Council of Ministers the question of the easing of the grip on the women’s option envisaged by the manoeuvre: ” Some interventions have not brought consensus, such as the Women’s Option, but there is maximum effort to find measures with which review some passages of the standard“.
Women’s option, the squeeze
If until 2022 a woman could retire at 58 (59 for self-employed) with 35 years of contributions, with the new year it goes up to 60 and access is allowed to some categories of female workers such as caregivers, invalids over 74 % or fired.
The maneuver reduced the women’s option flexibility mechanism and introduced a restrictive intervention linked to the criterion of children. Female workers, employees or self-employed who have acquired the requirements by 31 December 2022 will be able to access them on condition that they are:
- caregiver
- invalids not less than 74%
- fired
- employees of companies in crisis.
The personal requirements also change:
- 60 years
- 35 years of contributions completed by 31 December 2022 with a one-year discount for each child within a maximum of two years.
For the redundant or employees of companies in crisis, however, the requirements will be different:
- 58 years old
- 35 years of contributions (always completed by 31 December 2022).
Woman option, what could change
The first correction could concern the conditions of belonging to certain areas, to make it generalized. The second would concern the elimination of the bond of children. This means, however, standardizing the age for all at 60 years. The 60-year limit could also be used to find the adequate financial backing to change the mechanism.
“It must be done step back on the women’s option, with the return to the 58-year-old requirement without the constraints introduced in the manoeuvre. Then there are strong incentives to be recognized for working mothers, with a discount of at least one year of contributions per child” say the CISL.
“There is maximum effort to find measures with which to review some passages of the law”, assures Minister Calderone. The unknowns are the possible timing and methods with which to introduce changes to the current regulation.
