Rise in Pension Age

Fernhillnana

My son is a practising, experienced GP. He says that 90% of the illness he sees in adults is “lifestyle related”. Make of that what you will.

90% perhaps too high- but certainly the majority. Most doctors will agree on that one.

There are at least three issues here, which to my mind all deserve serious discussion without our sidetracking into the other issues.

Women tend to live longer than men, so if couples are to be able to look forward to retirement together perhaps this should be taken into account.

Men have earned more than women doing the same job, and still do in some countries, Therefore they have paid more into pension funds than women if their pensions were based on contributions as a percentage of their earnings, which is I believe the case in most countries.

If the human race is to continue women will continue to have children at least, so I hope! At no time has any democracy rewarded women either by state payments or paying money into pension funds whilst women were having or rearing their children.

The old Soviet dominated Eastern block did compensate mothers by allowing them to retire a year earlier for every child they had had than other women of their age, who either had fewer or no children.

Hitler and Mussolini talked about the dignity of motherhood and it being every German or Italian woman's duty to have children - Mussolini handed out medals to mothers of numerous children - Hitler made dowith talking - something he was good at.

No-one has ever found it necessary to compensate mothers financially for the time they spend, willingly or otherwise caring for their children.

It is about time some governments did come to terms with the fact that fewer and fewer women are likely to feel they can afford more than one, or at the most two children if having chldren means they can look forward to an old age in poverty. So increase women's pension funds by equating nine months pregnancy plus time off after childbirth with the same time spent working in a paid job.

And whether or not women have children, pay them at the same rate as men doing the same job or type of job.

After all the old reasoning for paying men more was that they had wives and families to support. This no longer applies in the modern Westernized world - women are educated, work, pay taxes and have dependent children and often aged parents as well. So pay them a wage that takes this into account.

Shinamae

Blossoming

That is a very interesting article. IDS must be laughing his head off now.

IDS?

Not sure anyone answered this for you.

Irritating Duncan Syndrome , sorry

Ian Duncan Smith, former hatchet man as Secretary for State for Work and Pensions

Mogsmaw

Shinamae

Blossoming

That is a very interesting article. IDS must be laughing his head off now.

IDS?

Not sure anyone answered this for you.

Irritating Duncan Syndrome , sorry

Ian Duncan Smith, former hatchet man as Secretary for State for Work and Pensions

Thank you..🤓

Germanshepherdsmum

Oh, Norah, so sorry to hear that. 💐

You know what? It's fine in the whole of life. We have our last 2 lovely daughters and wouldn't have them with the lost ones.

Anniel I believe PFI was introduced in 1992by John Major's government. I was working in a hospital at that time and we had to go down that route.

There's a big difference between being alive and having the money and health to enjoy it, and being alive with only one of the two.

I will start to think this is a Labour dominated paper.

Fleurpepper

Fernhillnana

My son is a practising, experienced GP. He says that 90% of the illness he sees in adults is “lifestyle related”. Make of that what you will.

90% perhaps too high- but certainly the majority. Most doctors will agree on that one.

Sorry to have a dig at GPs, but maybe they should treat those whose condition isn't "lifestyle-related" with a little more respect.

I still have some time to decide whether I'm going to sue my GP for not referring me for cancer treatment, so I'm a bit biased about the matter. I've had the initial meetings with the senior partner and practice manager and a solicitor.

Good post grandtante.

"^My son is a practising, experienced GP. He says that 90% of the illness he sees in adults is “lifestyle related”. Make of that what you will.^

Does the 90% Lifesyle relate refer to poverty as well?

‘Lifestyle related’ can include drinking too much, overeating and not exercising due to depression. Chicken and egg.

I certainly didn’t find childbirth degrading either

Does nobody read the thread? As has been pointed out upthread, there are two meanings of 'degrade', and (I assume) that BL was referring to the second one.

Whitewavemark2

Germanshepherdsmum

Childbirth is not degrading biglouis. I do wish you would stop describing it as such.

How can it be - a perfectly natural process.

I do wish you would stop describing it as such
Me too.

Strange that someone who has not experienced it seems to know all about it.

Doodledog

I wouldn’t dream of speaking for biglouis (I wouldn’t dare ), but maybe she was talking about the toll childbirth can take on the body?

Back in 1980 men lived to about 70 and women to 76. so Men had 5 years of retirement and women 16

So childbirth cannot have taken such a toll on the body then?

I'm 59 and my retirement age is 67, I'm still working full time plus as needs must. I'm already disabled with a scoliosis, fused ankle, knackered hip, osteoarthritis, calcific tendonitis, and an incurable auto immune illness. None of these are 'lifestyle related' although I am overweight, but walking is extremely difficult. I dread to think what state I will be in when I reach retirement age in 8 years and sometimes wonder if I will make it 🤔 .. I have pension provision so will be OK financially but I do wonder if retirement will be 'enjoyable' which isn't a nice thought!

So childbirth cannot have taken such a toll on the body then?
It will have done when the ages of 60 and 65 were set. Anyway, that is BL's argument, not mine, unless I have misunderstood her point.

Germanshepherdsmum

‘Lifestyle related’ can include drinking too much, overeating and not exercising due to depression. Chicken and egg.

It can, as well as exercising too much and breaking bones on ski slopes or falling off bicycles etc, as well as sexual health, childbirth, contraception and occupational hazards of various types. I really don't think that dividing the sick into deserving and undeserving would end well for many of us.

Sorry, Gran16. I didn't mean to ignore your post. I sympathise, and hope that you have many years of enjoyable retirement. I believe that the age should have been 'equalised' at 62 or so, rather than adding so long to the working lives of women, particularly with so little notice.

We should take to the streets like the french do when they keep putting up the retirement age. About childbirth while I don't think it's degrading it definitely wrecks a woman's body. Thank God for contraception. Now we can control our own bodies.

Well said ‘Doodledog’….women NEVER retire! Still cooking …cleaning, and doing all the chores even though they’re ageing just as fast as their husbands! Life has always favoured men…why shouldn’t have retirement age favoured women!
We get little peace and rest while we’re working women!

I suspect the pension riots in France might have given the government pause for thought as well.

Growstuff so sorry to hear about your treatment. Do you have an option to switch surgeries? We changed ours last year from the one that I had been to for over fifty years and were totally amazed at the difference. From having to wait a month to see a GP we were offered a next day face to face appointment! Still can’t believe the difference between the two surgeries!

Cambia

Growstuff so sorry to hear about your treatment. Do you have an option to switch surgeries? We changed ours last year from the one that I had been to for over fifty years and were totally amazed at the difference. From having to wait a month to see a GP we were offered a next day face to face appointment! Still can’t believe the difference between the two surgeries!

I'm being treated with kid gloves now.

Changing surgeries (which isn't really an option) wouldn't bring back the six months I lost because treatment was delayed or the part of my breast which was removed because the cancer had grown.

My point is that I do try my best to be responsible for my health and don't go to the GP unless I think that's the best and only course of action. The issue is that there's not much point being fairly sure that something serious is wrong if patients can't get into the system to be treated. In my case, the GP didn't know me and it was clear she thought I was one of the 90% who allegedly waste GPs' time. The cancer was eventually picked up by a routine scan.

We need better primary care, so that GPs have more time to deal with their patients.