Social norms are the biggest barrier. Although Poles say they support equal partnerships between men and women, most fill traditional gender roles at home, which has strong implications for women in the labor market. For example, due to the expectation that women are responsible for child care and other unpaid work at home, women tend to reduce their participation in the labor force, and the Polish pension system does not take this into consideration. Pensions in Poland are dependent on the level of income of each person, and women who work part time due to child care responsibilities, or who have gaps in their employment history because they took time off to have children, are at a serious disadvantage. If the government follows through on the promise to lower the retirement age, it could lead to increased poverty rates among elderly women in the future.