The women and men in Moldova will retire at the age of 63. The minimum length of service required before retiring or the insurance period will be the same - 34 years. The bill on the pension system reform was passed by the votes of 51 MPs in the final reading, IPN reports.

The Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Family explained the rise by the aging of the population and by the fact that the number of pensioners grows faster than of employed persons.

Under the new amendments, the retirement age and insurance period for women and men will be gradually equalized. Thus, the retirement age for men will increase to 63 by January 1, 2019, by four months a year. The same age was set for women, which will be attained by July 1, 2028, by six months a year. The insurance period for men will be determined from July 1, 2018, while for women from July 1, 2024. The pensioners who worked or continue to work after retirement can ask to have their pension recalculated once in two years.

Communist MP Oxana Domenti said that by these changes the Government decreases by about one third the number of pensions. This is inadmissible when life expectancy in Moldova is lower than in the countries of the region. The women are discriminated as the retirement age for them is increased substantially.

Minister of Labor, Social Protection and Family Stela Grigoras said in Parliament that the current provisions of the law actually discriminate against women as these cannot attain the minimum length of service required before retirement and have a pension equal to 70% of the pension of a man, being thus poorer.

Life expectancy in Moldova in 2015, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, was 67.5 for men and 75.5 for women.