CESI supports retirement equality for all women but also the request for constitutional review made by MP Drago Lesar regarding the Law on Rights and Duties of Representatives in the Croatian Parliament.                                                                                                                           

The age limit for retirement is planned to be extended gradually by three months every year until 2030, so that in 20 years women go into old age retirement at 65 years of age, just as men. However, this legislation does not apply to all women. The Law on Rights and Duties of Members of the Croatian Parliament, the Law on Rights and Duties of Civil Servants and the Constitutional Law on Constitutional Court stipulates the age of 55 years for retirement for women civil servants. The Constitutional Court requested, the government proposed and the Parliament adopted amendments to the General Retirement Law which stipulates that women's retirement age is 65 years, in order to achieve gender equality. We believe it is illogical that in determining the retirement age the type of work performed is disregarded and find it genuinely disgraceful that women civil servants should retire ten years before other women. Therefore, we call on the political majority in the Parliament to make amendments to this injustice and stop producing women civil servants into a privileged caste.

At this occasion we would like to notice that it seems sad that gender equality policy issues have been rushed on the example of age retirement equality and not, for instance, on issues such as complete eradication of gender stereotypes from the education system, economic empowerment of women or equal participation in the decision making processes. It appears that women can become equal to men only at old age, whereas they are expected to carry the burden of housework, take care of children and family as well as support national economy by performing unpaid work their whole lives. At the same time, more participation of men in matters of housework remains exempt from the reach of policies and legislation.