Only around a third of women reaching retirement age currently qualify for the whole amount. To get the full state pension, women must have 39 years of contributions and men 44 years. But millions fail to build up enough years because they take time off work to care for their families. The new legislation will slash the qualifying period for women from 39 to 30 years. It will also introduce new weekly national insurance credits which will recognise caring for children or the severely disabled in the same way as paid work.
Ministers say the reforms will mean an extra million people – 90% of them women - will build up entitlement to a state second pension from 2010, and by 2025 over 90% of women reaching pension age entitled to a full state pension.
