Stung by pension reforms: The unequal impact of changes in state pension age on UK women and their partners

2021 ◽  
Vol 72 ◽  
pp. 102049
Author(s):  
Marina Della Giusta ◽  
Simonetta Longhi
Author(s):  
Áine Ní Léime ◽  
Wendy Loretto

This chapter documents international policy developments and provides a gender critique of retirement, employment and pension policies in Australia, Ireland, Germany, Portugal, Sweden, the UK, and the US. It assesses the degree to which the individual country's extended working life policies have adopted the agenda (increasing pension age and introducing flexible working) set out by the OECD and the EU. Policies include raising state pension age, changes in the duration of pension contribution requirements, the move from defined benefits to defined contribution pensions, policies on caring for vulnerable members of the population, policies enabling flexible working and anti-age discrimination measures. An expanded framework is used to assess the degree to which gender and other intersecting issues such as health, caring, class, type of occupation and/or membership of minority communities have (or have not) been taken into account in designing and implementing policies extending working life.


Author(s):  
Alison Sizer ◽  
Oliver Duke-Williams

Background and Rationale The ONS Longitudinal Study (‘the LS’) covers England and Wales and includes individual data from the 1971 – 2011 decennial censuses and linked information on births, deaths and cancer registrations. It is representative of the population of England and Wales. Aim This presentation describes the LS and the linked administrative data, and showcases recent/ prominent examples of research. Methods and Approach The LS is built around samples drawn from decennial censuses, with its initial sample drawn from the 1971 Census. It also contains information about other people living in a sample-member’s household. Substantial emphasis is placed on security of access to the data and its responsible use. All research outputs are checked and are only released to users once disclosure control requirements are met. Linkage of study members from one census to another and vital events is carried out by ONS. Results The LS has been used for a variety of research. Using linked census and death records occupational differences in mortality rates have been researched. Individual records from all five censuses have been used to contribute to research social mobility, and research has also investigated the effects of long-term exposure to air pollution. Research has provided evidence of impact for social policy issues, e.g. health inequalities and the State Pension Age Review. Discussion The main strength of the LS is its large sample size (>1 million), making it the largest nationally representative longitudinal dataset in the UK. This allows analysis of small areas and specific population groups. Sampling bias is almost nil, and response rates are very high relative to other cohort and panel studies. Conclusion The ONS Longitudinal Study is a vital UK research asset, providing access to a large sample of census data linked across five censuses. It is strengthened through linkage to events data.


2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evgenia Gorina ◽  
Trang Hoang

Abstract Over the past decade, many states have reformed their retirement systems by reducing benefit generosity, tightening retirement provisions, introducing non-defined-benefit (DB) plan options and even replacing DB plans with defined-contribution plans. Many of these reforms have affected post-employment benefits that public workers will receive when they retire. Have these reforms also affected the attractiveness of public sector employment? To answer this question, we use state-level data from 2002 to 2015 and examine the relationship between state pension reforms and public employee turnover following the reforms. We find that employee responsiveness to the reforms was tangible and that it differed by reform type and worker education. These results are important because the design of public retirement benefits will continue to influence the ability of the public sector to recruit and retain high-quality workforce.


2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 464-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Áine Ní léime ◽  
Debra Street

Policies designed to extend working life and reduce pension costs have been the dominant policy response to population ageing. Such policies include increasing state pension age, flexible working and privatisation of pensions. Despite men’s and women’s typically different work-life trajectories, policymakers have paid little attention to either the differential effects of such policies on the economic well-being of older women and men, or to the implications for diverse groups of women. This article on policy, employment and pension outcomes in the US and Ireland analyses these issues, using a feminist political economy of ageing framework to assess the likely gender implications of these policy trends. It finds that existing and proposed reforms are likely to take what are already poor pension and employment outcomes for many contemporary older women and make them even worse in future. It concludes with suggested policy modifications and future avenues for research.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S819-S820
Author(s):  
Aine Ni Leime ◽  
Debra A Street

Abstract This symposium addresses the issue of extended working life policy by considering the influence of gender and health on the experiences of older workers. In response to population ageing, policies designed to extend working life have been introduced in many countries. These policies include raising state pension age and linking the amount of state pensions more closely to years spent in paid employment. Such policies tend to be undifferentiated by gender or health status – in most countries, state pension age has been raised to the same age for men and women. Yet, research evidence indicates that women in all countries are disadvantaged in relation to employment at older ages and pensions. There are also health inequalities for older workers, depending on their occupation and whether they are in precarious or secure employment. Extended working life is of pressing societal concern. This symposium brings together the work of a group of leading international scholars who have been researching and reflecting on its implications in a forthcoming book on the topic across 34 countries. The symposium begins with an overview and analysis of the empirical landscape of older employment and pension policy by Martina Rasticova and Jim Ogg; Paper 2 offers a discussion of the theoretical perspectives and policy debates across 34 countries by Clary Krekula; there will be an analysis of extended working life policy in Ireland by Aine Ni Leime and a final presentation synthesising policy recommendations and mapping future research directions in extended working life by Debra Street.


2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Evangelia Demou ◽  
Abita Bhaskar ◽  
Taoye Xu ◽  
Daniel F. Mackay ◽  
Kate Hunt

Author(s):  
Hugh Pemberton ◽  
Pat Thane ◽  
Noel Whiteside

In 2002, the British government announced the establishment of a Pensions Commission to assess the state of the country's pension system. In its first report, the Commission confirmed that the nation's pension system is in deep crisis. How come some offer better pension security than that in Britain? How do they cope with similar pressures? In its proposals for extensive reform, the Pensions Commission hopes to plug the holes in the current state system for those (mainly women) with interrupted careers and caring responsibilities. The Commission has three proposals: raising the state pension age to 67, or perhaps 69, by 2050; the creation of a more generous basic state pension by allowing the earnings-related second state pension to evolve into a flat-rate top-up to the present scheme; and the automatic enrolment of all workers into a National Pensions Savings Scheme. This introduction also looks at pension reforms abroad in areas such as Europe, including Germany and Sweden.


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