Rise in Pension Age

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.

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.

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.

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!

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?

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.

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.

I certainly didn’t find childbirth degrading either

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

"^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?

Good post grandtante.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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..🤓

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

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.

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.

Germanshepherdsmum

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

BL didn't say it was 'degrading' but caused 'degradation' - not at all the same.

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.

Well, I must be one of the 10%.

biglouis don't know where you get that we women suffer the 'degradation' of childbirth. I found it a wonderful experience with my three children and not degrading at all.

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.

Cambia I don't drink any alcohol, don't smoke, exercise most days, eat healthily and am still diabetic, have had a heart attack and cancer.

My heart attack treatment was exemplary, but the diabetic care has deteriorated over the years. I can't criticise anything about the medical care I received once my cancer had been diagnosed. The difficulty was in getting the GP to refer me in the first place because I couldn't get an appointment and I was dismissed as "worried well" in my 8 minute appointment slot. That's because the GP is under incredible pressure and is underfunded. A GP who knew me well would know I don't make a fuss for no reason and would have taken me seriously. The turnover at the practice is atrocious and will get worse as the government pushes e-consultations.

PS. I have no sympathy with people who don't take some responsibility for their own health, but I do expect the NHS to readily available when needed - and it isn't.