A homemaker PRSI credit for stay at home women and farming women, similar to a PAYE allowance, must be introduced by the next Government to end the hidden discrimination against women when it comes to qualification for the regular old age pension.
This is the view of Independent senator Fidelma Healy-Eames, who said he was "shocked to learn" of the cases of several women who were not entitled to pensions, "having spent most of their lives working in the home or on the farm".
According to Sen Healy-Eames, the women were "never made aware" they had to have 10 years PRSI contributions or stamps over their lifetime in order to qualify for the State non-contributory pension, ie, the regular old age pension.
The Maree based senator outlined the case of one woman from Castlegar, who worked prior to marriage for seven and a half years in total, after which she stayed at home to rear her children.
"She now receives a 'dependent spouse' allowance of only €30.90, about enough to cover one dinner in the week," said Sen Healy-Eames. "The Government took her husband’s pension into account and decreed she was due no more. Now in her late sixties, she sought a non-contributory pension and was turned down due to insufficient stamps. She was two and a half years short."
Sen Healy-Eames said there is a "fundamental flaw in the system" where no credit is given for work in the home or farm. "These women have been hidden victims of discrimination simply because they chose to be home-based and work for their families," she said. "Successive governments and Social Protection Departments have completely failed these women."
