"The State acknowledges the extraordinary value of the birth rate for society as a whole", says Mariano Rajoy

2016.1.1

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Moncloa Palace, Madrid

"We have just started the New Year and, with that, the entry into force of one of the newest and fairest measures that have been implemented in Spain in recent times; I refer to the maternity pension supplement.

Despite the progress made on gender equality, Spanish women still suffer from wage discrimination; they receive lower wages than men and the worst aspect is that this discrimination is definitively consolidated when calculating the pensions they are entitled to at the end of their working lives.

The average pension women currently receive is 26% lower than that received by men. Those affected are the older women, those that have had to fight the most for equality, those that have suffered from the worst discrimination and those who have received the least support in combining their working lives with the care of their children.

As from today that situation will change: women who retire today will receive a maternity supplement; the greater the number of children they have had the higher this supplement.

This is a fair measure because we thus start to break this inequality gap that also exists in relation to pensions.

It is a measure that acknowledges the efforts made by this generation of women who have been pioneers in the fight for equality and the full incorporation of women in the labour market.

And it is also a measure that supports the family. This is a way in which the State recognises the extraordinary value of the birth rate for society as a whole.

It is, in short, the way for us to say to mothers how much we value their efforts; not as children or as spouses, but rather as members of a society that needs this effort to continue its renewal; that needs maternity to maintain and increase the dynamism that will enable us to enjoy a better future".