Raising the age and more requirements to retire: this is how the government’s double tightening changes Women’s option

Not only is there no going back, as Labor Minister Elvira Calderone had proposed to do by maintaining the rules currently in force, but the reconfirmation of the Women’s Option included in the Budget law introduces a decisive tightening with respect to the current system, both as regards age – something immediately included in the first drafts of the maneuver – but also with respect to the work and personal characteristics to access the advance.
In fact, the women’s option has so far been intended for all women, with no requisites related to the work performed, family or personal status. The only characteristics are contributory and age: currently they can access early retirement, taking into account an average cut of 30% of the pension allowance, female workers who have accrued, a seniority of contributions equal to or greater than 35 years and a age equal to or greater than 58 years (for female employees) and 59 years (for self-employed workers).
In the new version the 35 years of contributions remain but the age is raised to 60 years. Above all, to access the pension subsidy you must fall into 3 categories: family caregivers (those who assist, at the time of the request and for at least six months, a spouse or a first-degree relative living with a disability in a serious situation, or a relative or a second-degree cohabitant if the parents or spouse of the person with a serious disability have reached the age of seventy or are also affected by disabling pathologies or are deceased or missing); civilian invalids with a reduction in working capacity, ascertained by the competent commissions for the recognition of civil invalidity, greater than or equal to 74 per cent; redundant workers or employees of companies for which a discussion table is active for the management of the company crisis. Only the latter can request an advance of two years, thus lowering the age to 58 years.
The limit of 60 years can also be lowered thanks to the children with a reduction of one year for each child in the maximum limit of two years. In this way, workers with one child will be able to access the women’s option at the age of 59, and those with two or more children at the age of 58.
With this double operation, raising the age and requirements, the government considerably limits the audience of possible beneficiaries, which in total is estimated at 180,000 units, and above all the costs. As a result of the tightening that is being introduced – and which the unions contest – between 2023 and 2029 there will be just over 21,000 beneficiaries of this measure, 2,900 in the first year of application, then 4,500 in 2024, 5,100 in 2025, 4,300 in the 2026, 2,600 in 2027, 1,300 in 2028 and just 400 in 2029. The total cost is close to 400 million euros (399.5 to be precise) with a peak of 99.6 in 2026. The burden on the State in the next year is instead from to 20.8 million euro.