by Athina Vlachantoni It’s no secret that some societal inequalities are not, shall we say, fair. Just do the numbers. Systemic income disparities between ethnic groups are found in many countries. Women earn less money than men in all of them. Pension gaps are the cumulative consequence.

Pension reform is one of the most difficult and politically charged areas of social policy. This is true not only in the United States, where social security has been called the "third rail of American politics" – touch it and you die –, but also in many European countries. Changing the rules of retirement, such as pension ages and benefit levels, is unpopular and a tough sell for governments; raising pensions and allowing people to stop working earlier, by contrast, is a good way to make friends and builds support among an ageing electorate.

by James W. Vaupel Everyone talks about our new life courses in view of increasing life expectancy – but what about reconciliation of family and career? In numerous sectors of the economy and other branches of society, many of the leading positions are predominantly occupied by men. This has led to, for example, debates about obligatory quota regulations within the governing boards of listed companies to allow females to break through the so-called “glass ceiling” of gender-specific career paths.

62, 67 or 74 years ­- which age is right for retirement? This question causes heated debate across Europe and at times furious protest. But even if these somewhat extreme reactions strike us as people resisting the inevitable adjustments required of an ageing and shrinking population, the protesters actually have a point. A discussion narrowly focused on rising the retirement age is not the answer to demographic change, because it does not reflect the realities of people’s lives.