The government changed women's pension age and called it progress. Did anyone actually ask you?

I agree Norah Hayes. But I think the brilliant representatives who have spent years fighting and managed to get it to court have been ignored. Before the last GE ministers always imply they are going to sort it. Andy Burnham has previously said he agreed with WASPI women. Now I hear he has said he didn't say anything about payouts or recognition. They all con the electorate until they get into power. I think this has been discussed on here before and many say they were informed in good time prior to the new women's retirement age. And many say they weren't informed in a timely manner. The DWP have apologised for not sending the info to all affected. But that's it. I don't think they will pay out as it's too costly and time consuming. And a blanket payout to all who potentially were affected would be even more costly. So I don't think it will happen. I know I wasn't informed and it has cost me.

Women my age, 65, have had their State Pension delayed by 7 years. This was supposedly to reach parity with our menfolk. Parity is not the case though, as for decades we had lower pay, fewer education, career and promotion opportunities as our working lives took second place to our menfolk's opportunities. The delay in pension age has cost me in the region of £70000 but this doesn’t just affect me but our income as a couple. State Pensions are becoming unaffordable because successive governments have failed to see the snowballing costs and provide for them. This is not my fault but instead of enjoying life on the Pension I earned, I'm using up my savings and cutting back. Worse stll, a dear friend died this year after only 1 year of State Pension after working until she was 65 and dying within a year. This policy robbed her of 5 years of retirememt. How is that fair?

It isn’t fair, and what’s worse is those (like me) who carried on working (because we had to) also paid additional NI. Back in the day, if one chose to continue working after SP age, NI payments stopped. I paid an addition 5 years, no mean amount.

I suppose you could blame the feminist movement. Always wanting equality with men, well we’ve got it. We have to work as long as them.

It's not about equality Kandinsky. Women aren't saying the shouldn't have the same retirement age as men. This is about the lack of informing women in time to prepare for the change. The DWP have acknowledged that this was the case.

When state pensions first came in they were calculated on the premise that recipients would only live for a few years after retiring. Due to free health care life expectancy has greatly improved therefore the age has had to be raised, as is happening all over Europe.
The increase in pension age came into effect in 1995 but the first women to be affected were born in 1995, therefore not in work until at the very earliest aged 15 or 16, allowing fifteen years grace to update pension plans.
Waspi women are not entitled to 5 years extra pension; I could never understand why men had to work five years longer for their pension, as they rarely had career breaks for child rearing and home duties. Equality works both ways. From the 1960s onward there were multiple opportunities for career development, extra education and promotion for those who wanted it, much of it due to Women's Lib and Feminism.

My mother, born 1905, worked until she was 65 and would have worked longer had she been allowed; she would have loved the opportunities open to women nowadays. My father worked until he was 70, and I retired at 65,again compulsorily.

The friend was not robbed of 5 years of retirement; she, like everyone else born after 1950, was not entitled to it.

We are all living longer, and with the state so committed to the burgeoning Welfare Bill, the money has to come from somewhere.

NoraHayes it has been discussed on here, a lot.

To Crossy
That's a point I hadn't even considered. Many people focus on the pension delay itself, but having to continue paying NI for years longer adds another layer to the impact. How did you adjust your plans when you realized you'd be working longer than expected?

I built my working life on a retirement age of 60 and I do understand that SP age probably needed to be a bit older than that.

7 years extra is unacceptable and unfair. Many manual jobs are impossible to do when you are over 60 and women always seem to be negatively treated as we have families and part time work for a good work life balance.