80 NGOs PROPOSE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY TO REVISE PENSION AGE FOR
WOMEN AND REDUCE IT FROM 63 TO 60
14-11-2006 16:04:00 | Armenia | Social
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 14, NOYAN TAPAN. By the data of the Job
Agency of the RA Ministry of Labor and Social issues, in
January-June 2006, there were 107,900 unemployed persons in
Armenia. 87,700 of them, including 71,100 women, had status of
an unemployed person. Seda Manvelian, Chairwoman of the NGO
"40+" (dealing with women's problems), said this at a press
conference. According to her, women aged 31-50 make up 67.2% of
the unemployed, women above 51 - 13.1%. "I say with full
responsibility that in reality these figures are 3 times as
great," she stated.
In her words, most of Armenian middle-aged women under 63
are unemployed, with almost no opportunity to get a job. As a
result, on the one hand, women of this age are deprived of the
opportunity to work and receive a salary, on the other hand,
they receive no pension. So, a package of proposals to be
submitted to the RA National Assembly has been developed in
order to mitigate the situation related to unemployment among
women, taking into accoint the discussions in the NA before the
approval of the 2007 state budget of the RA. Thus, it is
proposed to reduce the pension age for women from 63 to 60 and
at the same time to stipulate by law that working women of 60
and above shall decide themselves whether to continue to work or
not.
80 NGOs and 4 political parties (the Orinats Yerkir Party,
the Progressive United Communist Party, the "Democracy and
Labor" Party and the National Democratic Party) have joined this
package of proposals.