Some benefits might be defined in terms of the member's contributions, eg on death in service you might a refund. The rationale is that you get back what you paid personally and didn't lose out by (being forced) to contribute.
Major benefits ( the pension itself) may not be at all related to contributions paid.
But it's not unreasonable to make members pay part of the cost. Why should employers (governments etc) pay the entire cost?
The member's contributions could be variable like sponsors, but it's more common to set a fixed rate.
Last edited by a moderator: Sep 24, 2011