However, if the service credit is granted solely on the basis of parenthood there is no reason why men in their capacity as parents are excluded by the provision.
In order to determine whether there is unequal treatment on grounds of sex, it is necessary to establish whether motherhood within the meaning of the provision is to be understood as synonymous with parenthood or whether there are objective grounds for treating motherhood differently from parenthood for purposes of pension rights.
The impact of parenthood on labour market participation is still very different for women and men in the EU today because women continue to shoulder a disproportionate part of the responsibilities involved in running a family.
