other genderrelevant measures included that common law couples became eligible for survivor benefits and childcare credits were set to expand gradually from to usssa oecd the pension reform was expected to reduce future pension expenditures and cut benefit replacement rates from an average of per cent of wages to around per cent reform increased the retirement age for women gradually rising from to to match that of men and established an automatic adjustment of retirement ages beginning in to reflect changes in life expectancy it also restricted early retirement increased the minimum contribution period to get a full pension froze benefits during later extended to and established price indexation thereafter