New research from the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign shows that changes to the State Pension age have had a ‘devastating’ impact on millions of women born in the 1950s. According to a survey of more than 7,000 WASPI women, approximately one-quarter have struggled to buy food or basic essentials in the last six months, with 45 per cent of women reporting they have been unable to pay household bills.
It also found that one in three older women have experienced debt in the last six months, with thousands of pensioners citing not knowing about increases to their State Pension age as a direct cause of their financial hardship.
More than 3.6million women across Great Britain are estimated to have missed out on State Pension payments due to a change in retirement age. Between April 2010 and November 2018, it rose from 60 to 65 for women, and in October 2020 it increased to 66 for both men and women.
In July 2021, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) ruled that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) failed to communicate the age changes to those women with enough urgency, finding it guilty of maladministration, and is currently investigating the harm caused.
The survey, commissioned by the WASPI campaign, suggests that close to 30 per cent of affected women had already left work by the time they found out their State Pension age had moved from 60 to 66. A similar proportion (32%) of those asked were unable to find new employment opportunities after leaving the workplace.
By this time many had made life changing decisions, reducing their hours, turning down promotions, or taking early retirement because they believed their State Pension would come in at 60. The WASPI campaign argues that this lack of notice robbed millions of women of the ability to adequately plan for their retirement.
The WASPI campaign reports that multiple anonymous testimonies from affected women illustrate the life-changing negative effects this DWP maladministration continues to have.
A woman born in the 1950s, affected by the State Pension age rise, told the WASPI survey: “The sudden elevation in the State Pension age devastated my life and still has consequences today. I lost my 27-year marriage, my health declined dramatically and my finances and ability to plan were no longer in my control.
“There has been no recognition of the injustice caused and the finances lost in the contentious domino effect. A working contract was broken and should be acknowledged, with fair and fast compensation paid.”
The latest research comes just days after 43 cross-party MPs wrote to the PHSO asking for a fair investigation into the millions of women affected by the changes to the State Pension age.
Senior politicians echoing WASPI’s calls for fast and fair compensation include:
- former Conservative DEFRA Secretary, Ranil Jayawardena MP
- former leader of the Liberal Democrats, Tim Farron MP
- former Labour Party Chair, Ian Lavery MP
- Green Party MP, Caroline Lucas
In total, 7,781 individual survey responses were received from 1950s-born women in May, with campaigners saying they had been both “overwhelmed” and “saddened” by the responses received.
Commenting on the findings, Angela Madden, Chair of the WASPI campaign, said: “We’ve been completely overwhelmed by the response from 1950s-born women to our latest survey, showing the lasting impact of not being informed about State Pension age changes. The devastating impacts on thousands of women could have been avoided had the DWP done their job.
“We’re also saddened by the latest findings from affected women which show this cohort is amongst the worst affected by the cost of living crisis. All their retirement savings have been used and many are desperately awaiting the fast and fair compensation they deserve.”
Ms Madden added: “The damning impact on WASPI women is clearer than ever before and as the Parliamentary Ombudsman reviews it’s investigation into the Department for Work and Pensions, it’s vital they take into account the full diversity of women’s experiences and the irreversible damage that has been caused.”
You can find out more information about the WASPI campaign here.
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