Although men and women are treated equally regarding pension provision, the level of pension coverage for women is markedly lower than it is for men. Of the new initiatives in the Pensions Bill, the introduction of the personal retirement savings account (PRSA) is expected to help widen pension coverage for women, as it will be open to people who are not in paid or regular employment.

There are several areas that are of particular interest to women and Family Money receives queries on this subject regularly. The Pensions Board assisted with the following answers and much of the information is also relevant to men.

Ms JOH: I'm expecting a baby in September and I've been a member of my company pension scheme for three years. How will maternity leave affect my pension?

By law, PAYE workers and self-employed people are entitled to paid maternity leave if they have enough PRSI credits. Paid maternity leave was extended to 18 weeks from 14 weeks for women who took this leave on or after March 8th, 2001. Unpaid leave was also increased from four to eight weeks from the same date.

You will receive PRSI credits while in receipt of the State maternity benefit, so entitlement to retirement benefits from the State will not be affected.

Also, your membership of your company pension scheme must continue while you are on statutory maternity leave.

If you are on a defined benefit scheme, you will continue to build up pensionable service while on statutory maternity leave. If you are paid by your employer during maternity leave, you may be required to continue paying employee contributions to the scheme.

Those with a private pension may be able to keep contributing to the plan, income permitting.

Ms SS is not married to her partner and they have a child. She wants to know whether they are covered by her pension scheme, and if she is covered by his scheme.

It depends on the rules of the scheme. Generally if a spouse's pension is payable it will be paid to the legal spouse. However, the trustees may have discretion to pay a dependant's pension to a person who is not the legal spouse if the scheme rules permit it. In such a case, the trustees may have to be satisfied that the person in question was financially dependent on the deceased member. Not all schemes provide cover for dependent children, so Ms SS needs to check the rules of both schemes.

Ms MG has been in and out of paid employment for almost 30 years and is not sure what her record of PRSI contributions is. She wants to know what her entitlement to a State pension might be.

Ms MG will be entitled to a State contributory pension if she has paid sufficient PRSI contributions during her working life. These may include PRSI credits awarded to her while she was in receipt of other social welfare payments and/or any credits granted if she availed of the homemaker's scheme. Armed with her personal public service (PPS) number, previously known as revenue and social insurance (RSI) number, a quick call to her local social welfare office should clear up her PRSI status.

Occupational pension schemes may be integrated with the State pension for the purposes of calculating a person's overall pension in retirement.

Alternatively Ms MG could be entitled to the old age non contributory pension if she is over 66 and satisfies a means test. The means of her partner or spouse will be taken into account if they are living together.

Ms RB may have to take her elderly mother to live with her and is considering giving up work to look after her. "Because of my husband's income I know I won't qualify for the heard something about a homemaker's does that work?"

The homemaker's scheme permits female or male carers to take time out of the paid workforce without damaging their PRSI contribution record and their entitlement to a State contributory pension.

To qualify you must live with and care for a child aged under 12 or an incapacitated person on a full-time basis. Small or part-time earnings up to £30 (€38.09) per week are permitted. Other conditions also apply, and you'll find more details in the SW1 leaflet from your local social welfare office.