Mother's pension III: A step towards justice or an expensive illusion?

Mother's pension III: A step towards justice or an expensive illusion?

On July 8, 2025, the mother's pension will once again be the focus of political discussions. The introduction of a new model, called Mother's Pension III, is planned by Markus Söder and the CSU. This project is intended to offer mothers who gave birth to children before 1992 improved recognition of their parenting achievements. The mother's pension is already available to millions of women as a sign of appreciation for their parenting work, but there is a lot of criticism. Donau-Ries Current notes that the mother's pension only applies to children born after 1992. Experts estimate the costs of switching to mother's pension III could rise to up to 5 billion euros annually.

Criticism came from, among others, Gundula Roßbach, the President of the German Pension Insurance (DRV). She described the mother's pension as an “expensive redistribution”. Roßbach warns of the financial burden that contributors could face if the additional funding is not financed through taxes. Marcel Fratzscher, a renowned economist, also notes that the mother's pension is not a long-term solution and instead calls for comprehensive reforms to ensure gender equality in the pension system.

Bureaucracy and inheritance tax

Parallel to the discussion about pensions, there is also an outcry about the current bureaucracy: once seen as a strength, it is now seen as a burden. Söder calls for more trust in citizens and a simplification of processes. Less bureaucracy should create more freedom, and at the same time there are considerations about reforming the inheritance tax. Söder emphasizes the importance of the middle class and criticizes the punishment of heirs whose parents have worked all their lives.

Bavaria's technological role

A completely different, but no less important aspect is Bavaria's role as a technology location. Here the technology is seen as one of the strongest weapons in international comparison. Bavaria is a leader in aerospace in Europe and Söder emphasizes that the future of the industry should rely on transformation rather than subsidies for phased-out products. The goal is clear: Bavaria should be at the forefront of technology.

Maternal pensions remain a hot topic and show how important fair and equitable recognition of parenting services is. Social associations support the project, while at the same time an effective financing concept is required to overcome the challenges of pension insurance in the long term. The German Family Association is even calling for the mother's pension to be expanded into a parent's pension in order to secure pension rights for raising three children over the age of 18. One desired concept would provide for a salary point credit for every child and year.

It remains exciting to see how developments surrounding the mother's pension and other issues will develop. The citizens of Bavaria are called upon to take part in this discussion, because not only personal concerns are at stake here, but also the future social security of the next generations.