WASPI's is (mostly) a campaign for inequality

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Abstract

Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) has mounted a vociferous campaign for full compensation to be given to ‘1950s women’ who, WASPI argues, have suffered severe financial hardship as a result of the rise in their state pension age from age 60. That campaign has gained significant political traction, with much sympathy expressed for the plight of those affected and acceptance (most notably by the Scottish National Party and the Labour Party) that some form compensation is urgently needed. But WASPI fails to acknowledge the roots of the rise in state pensions age in the fight for women’s equality, disregards the fact that the problems experienced by this cohort as they near retirement are faced by both women and men, and glosses over the fact that the increase in pension age above 65 applies to both genders equally. Its campaign obscures deeper and more important issues in old-age income replacement
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)510-516
Number of pages7
JournalPolitical Quarterly
Volume88
Issue number3
Early online date10 Mar 2017
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 11 Aug 2017

Keywords

  • UK Pensions History
  • Old Age Pensions
  • UK State Pension
  • Gender equality
  • Intergenerational equity

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