Women’s pensions remain lower than men’s, report shows

According to the new report Women’s pension benefits in Israel are in average NIS 2,000 lower than men’s.

By DANIELLE ZIRI
Women's rights advocates meet in Nazareth 370 (photo credit: Joshua Lipson)
Women's rights advocates meet in Nazareth 370
(photo credit: Joshua Lipson)
Women’s pension benefits are on average NIS 2,000 lower than men’s, according to the Annual Statistic Report on the Elderly released by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee in Israel – JDC-Eshel – ahead of Rosh Hashana.
According to the data, women’s pensions stand at an average of NIS 4,197 per month in contrast to NIS 6,192 for men. Compared to last year, this year saw an increase in the monthly pensions of NIS 400 on average: men’s benefits rose by some NIS 800 whereas women’s by only about NIS 170.
In addition, the results showed that the employment rate among women aged 65 and over and having passed the age of retirement, has been rising steadily over the last decade, from 4.1 percent in 2000 to 7.4% in 2011.
The study, conducted annually by the Brookdale Institute, revealed that out of the elderly population passed the retirement age and not working, only 38% are eligible for retirement benefits, 45% of whom are men and 34% are women.
“Women comprise more than half of the elderly population in Israel, yet they face more economic difficulty than men,” director of JDCEshel Israel professor Yossi Tamir said in a statement.
“There is no doubt that this is linked to level of their salary before leaving for retirement, but there is also a link to the issue of the retirement age of women and the retirement age in general.”
“The fact that today people continue to live on average between 25-30 years after the retirement age has implications on the nature and range of services that should be provided to the elderly in Israel,” he added.
Tamir stated the importance of “developing economically efficient service packages individually tailored” for the seniors, instead of the unique set of benefits given to all pensioners, which he called “inadequate and economically wasteful.”
The JDC-Eshel figures showed that some 33.7% of people aged 65 and over in Israel have had a hard time making ends meet this year, compared to 29% last year.
Meanwhile, 17% of those of the same age group live below the poverty line.
The growth rate of those aged 65 and above is double that of the rest of the population, while among those aged 75 and over, the growth rate is even faster, the report stated.