This discussion of trends in occupational pension scheme membership concentrates on the period since 1988 when important changes in pension provision for employees were introduced. Since 1988 employers have been allowed to contract out of SERPS if their pension scheme satisfies specific requirements. Also, individual employees who belong to an occupational scheme which is not contracted-out of SERPS and those who do not belong to an occupational scheme have had the option of contracting out of SERPS by starting their own personal pension plan. In such cases the employee receives a rebate on his or her National Insurance contribution from the Inland Revenue (formerly from the DSS).

A further change that introduced parity of access to occupational pension schemes for full-time and part-time employees was the ruling by the European Court of Justice in September 1994. This disallowed the exclusion of part-time employees from occupational pension schemes on the grounds of indirect discrimination against women.

Trends in membership of the current employer's pension scheme differ for men and women and for employees working full and part time.

• Among men working full time, current membership of an occupational pension scheme decreased from 64% in 1989 to 55% in 1998 and has since remained constant (54% in 2001).
• The proportion of women working full time who are members of an occupational scheme has been more stable over this period (55% in 1989 and 58% in 2001).

• Among women in part time work, membership of the current employer’s pension scheme increased from 15% in 1989 to 26% in 1998 and again to 33% in 2001.

Similar patterns are also seen in the proportions of respondents whose employer offered a pension scheme. For example:

• the proportion of men working full time who said that their current employer ran a pension scheme decreased from 79% in 1989 to 73% in 2001;
• the proportion of women working part time whose employer ran a pension scheme varied between 52% and 55% from 1989 to 1998, but increased to 63% in 2001.