"I cannot allow it to be said that our project would not protect women. On the contrary", launched Elisabeth Borne in the National Assembly, during questions to the government, in response to the Socialist deputy Mélanie Thomin who considered that women would be "more heavily penalized" by raising the retirement age from 62 to 64.

Long heckled on the benches of the left, the Prime Minister assured that the reform would reduce "the unacceptable inequalities between women and men at the time of retirement".

"We protect women who have incomplete and choppy careers, women who started working early, women who have small pensions," she insisted.

“Women will be the first beneficiaries of the revaluation of small pensions,” she added.

"The reform will contribute to reducing the pension gap between men and women", said the head of government, denouncing a "false trial", but adding that she hoped that the parliamentary debate would make it possible to "continue to enrich the project". .

The controversy arose from a document unveiled on Monday, presented by the government as an impact study of the reform.

It shows that the latter will push women to extend their careers more than men, while helping to reduce the pension gap between the two sexes.

The executive initially seemed uncomfortable justifying these impacts.

"Row on the trays"

Women "are a little penalized by the postponement of the legal age, we absolutely do not disagree", assured Monday the Minister of Relations with Parliament Franck Riester.

"The quarters per child do not play on the postponement of the age, they play on the duration of contribution", he had explained.

"It's a way out," sighed a ministerial adviser on Tuesday.

"The word of Riester yesterday puts us in difficulty. It gives fuel to the oppositions", creaked in echo a framework of the majority.

Opposed to the postponement of the legal age, left and extreme right have indeed immediately seized on these remarks.

"Even the government ends up recognizing that women will be + penalized + by postponing the legal age", tweeted the first secretary of the Socialist Party, Olivier Faure.

The subject also provided grist for the mill of the leader of the LFI deputies Mathilde Panot and the president of the National Rally Jordan Bardella, opposed Tuesday evening to government spokesperson Olivier Véran during a debate on pensions on BFM TV.

"It's a reform that is anti-women," hammered the first.

“When a minister himself admits it, that women are going to be penalized” by postponing the legal age, “then that is a good reason to withdraw it from this bill”.

"You are very uncomfortable because you say to yourself + my colleague said a huge bullshit and we will have to row on the sets to try to get out of it +", added the MEP from the far right party .

Olivier Véran assured in response that all the ministers were "aligned".

"Don't try to put corners," he insisted.

Like Elisabeth Borne, Mr. Véran listed the benefits expected for women, in particular the fact that they will be 60% beneficiaries of the revaluation of small pensions to 1,200 euros gross.

"You just have to understand that the 1,200 euros are there to make you swallow the pill," protested Jordan Bardella, stressing that they would only concern people who have had a full career at minimum wage.

"From the start you explain to the French that they did not understand this reform, that they are too stupid to understand," said Mathilde Panot for her part.

"People have understood very well what you are doing."

© 2023 AFP