Polish coalition split over retirement age: minister calls childless-women plan 'cruel'
Family Minister Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk declared that as long as the Left remains in government, there will be no raising of the retirement age for anyone, after a coalition partner suggested childless women should work longer.
A proposal that sparked fury
Minister of Funds and Regional Policy Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz recently put forward the idea of equalising the retirement age for men and women and linking women's retirement age to whether they have children. Under her proposal, childless women would work longer. The suggestion drew an immediate and sharp response from the Left, a junior partner in Poland's ruling coalition.
On Sunday evening, Left politicians met voters in Kazimierz Dolny as part of their summer tour. Minister of Family, Labour and Social Policy Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk told the gathering that she is frequently asked about retirement age because of what she called scandalous ideas circulating in public debate.
"Cruel and scandalous"
Dziemianowicz-Bąk did not hold back. She described the notion of tying a woman's retirement to motherhood as cruel and warned it would punish those unable to have children.
This is cruel. This is saying that if a woman cannot have children, she should be punished with longer work, instead of helping her, for example, with state-funded in vitro.
She added that the decision to have children is a private choice for every family.
Left's red line
The family minister made clear that her party would use its position in government to block any increase in the retirement age.
As the Left, we say a firm 'no' to such ideas. I want to communicate clearly: as long as the Left is in government, as long as the Left is responsible for this area, there will be no raising of the retirement age for women or for men. Not for fathers, not for mothers, not for childless people. We will not raise the retirement age.
Alternative paths
Dziemianowicz-Bąk stressed that the conversation about retirement age should go in a different direction. She said the only acceptable discussion would be about equalising the age downwards to 60 for both sexes, or about making it easier for people who want to work beyond the retirement age to do so voluntarily. She also floated the idea of shortening working hours for older employees while keeping their pay unchanged, to give them more time for rest and recovery.
Demographic backdrop
The clash comes against a backdrop of an ageing society. According to Poland's Central Statistical Office (GUS), the median age of the population could exceed 50.25 years by 2060, roughly 7 years higher than in 2024. The projection underscores the long-term pressure on the pension system, even as the coalition partners remain sharply divided over how to respond.
