Gender and social security policy: Pitfalls and possibilities

Social security reform is high on the agenda of many governments around the world. In thinking about gender and social security policy it is useful to consider the implications of work in feminist economics for the evaluation of existing policies and proposed reforms. This paper identifies six key points and applies these to a range of social security provisions, including unemployment insurance, maternity benefits, family allowance and child benefits, pensions, social assistance and tax-based measures. The problems with traditional social security provisions are emphasized, drawing on the experiences of a variety of countries. Finally, the paper summarizes some implications regarding incentives, eligibility and benefit levels, and funding of these programs, taking into account countries at different levels of development.