Pension Reform Made Changes for Women: The New Retirement Rules Approved in the Senate

Labor and employment attorney Jimena Nieto was interviewed by Infobae about the changes in retirement rules for women that form part of the pension reform recently approved in the Colombian Senate. The reform establishes a pension age of 57 years for women from 2035, with a gradual increase from the current age of 55 years. In addition, women must contribute 1,300 weeks to access the pension, an increase from the current 1,050 weeks. Ms. Nieto highlighted that these changes seek to gradually equalize pension requirements between men and women, in line with the global trend of equalizing retirement ages for reasons of gender equity and financial sustainability of pension systems. She also noted the challenges that women with discontinued careers or informal jobs will face in meeting the new requirements.

"Women interrupt their careers to dedicate themselves to childcare for a few years. As a result, it is common for them to accumulate fewer weeks of contributions than men of the same age and with similar work experiences," she said.

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