Gender perspectives on extended working life policies

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Áine Ní Léime ◽  
Wendy Loretto
Keyword(s):  
Working Life ◽  
Defined Contribution ◽  
Population Policies ◽  
Flexible Working ◽  
Working Set ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Pension Age ◽  
Pension Contribution ◽  
The Uk ◽  
State Pension

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.

UK pension changes in 2015: some mathematical considerations

2016 ◽  
Vol 100 (548) ◽  
pp. 193-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Stubbs ◽  
Jacob Adetunji
Keyword(s):  
Arbitrary Number ◽  
The State ◽  
Defined Benefit ◽  
Defined Contribution ◽  
Bank Account ◽  
Legal Requirement ◽  
Pension Age ◽  
The Uk ◽  
State Pension ◽  
Special Case

Since April 2015 there has been no legal requirement in the UK to purchase an annuity with pension savings [1] while for those who reach state pension age on or after 6th April 2016 the UK Government changed the state pension deferral arrangements [2]. The latter refers to an arrangement whereby a pensioner can receive an enhanced state pension by deferring its uptake for an arbitrary number of years. These two changes raise certain questions for prospective pensioners which are worthy of some mathematical consideration.An annuity is a guaranteed income for life in exchange for a certain sum of money: the pension pot. An alternative to the annuity since April 2015 is a ‘draw down scheme’ in which the pension pot can be used almost like an ordinary bank account and money periodically withdrawn. These two choices arise from ‘defined contribution’ pension arrangements. By contrast ‘defined benefit’ work-based (company) pensions allow no such choice and are not considered further here apart from the special case of the UK state pension. With an annuity a further option to consider, and one which predates the 2015 changes, is whether to take payments that are fixed or index-linked to inflation. Only the UK state pension offers a late retirement enhanced pension if its uptake is deferred.

The United Kingdom – a new moral imperative: live longer, work longer

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Vickerstaff ◽  
Wendy Loretto
Keyword(s):  
Government Policy ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Individual Responsibility ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Job Opportunities ◽  
Family Demands ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Pension Age ◽  
The Uk ◽  
State Pension

The drift of government policy affecting older workers in the UK has been focused on encouraging individual responsibility for working longer and saving more, often with an idealised 'adult worker' in mind; an individual devoid of family context and family demands and accumulated advantages or disadvantages. As a result the policies have a differential impact on women and men and diverse incomes groups and are likely to lead to greater inequality between older workers. The focus on the individual (the supply side in the labour market) also takes emphasis away from the problem of demand: whether employers want to retain or recruit older workers. There is an increasingly strong moral assertion that to live longer should mean to work longer, but research demonstrates that those most likely to be unemployed before state pension age are out of work because of lack of job opportunities, poor health or caring responsibilities.

scholarly journals The Office for National Statistics Longitudinal Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Sizer ◽  
Oliver Duke-Williams
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Sampling Bias ◽  
Large Sample Size ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Large Sample ◽  
Small Areas ◽  
Pension Age ◽  
The Uk ◽  
State Pension

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.

Is there a place in the UK Defined Contribution pensions market for a guaranteed savings product?

2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 624-656 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Eason ◽  
P. Barker ◽  
G. Foroughi ◽  
J. Harsant ◽  
D. Hunter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Investment Risk ◽  
Occupational Pension ◽  
Defined Benefit ◽  
Defined Contribution ◽  
Mass Market ◽  
Tax Relief ◽  
Investment Returns ◽  
Pension Saving ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Uk

AbstractThe UK has seen a significant transition from Defined Benefit (“DB”) to Defined Contribution (“DC”) for occupational pension saving. The planned automatic enrolment program starting in 2012 is expected to increase the use of DC. The main features of DC are that investment risk falls onto the individual during the pre-retirement phase and that there are no guarantees as to investment returns or the level of pension. In July 2012, Steve Webb, the Pensions Minister, challenged industry to think hard about meeting the need for more certainty about pension savings in DC plans and to consider providing an affordable ‘Money Safe’ guarantee where the member would get back at least the nominal value of their contributions (individual, employer and tax relief). This paper explores whether this is viable for the mass market.

Gender and age implications of extended working life policies in the US and Ireland

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 464-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Áine Ní léime ◽  
Debra Street
Keyword(s):  
Older Women ◽  
Working Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Trajectories ◽  
Gender And Age ◽  
The Us ◽  
Pension Costs ◽  
Pension Age ◽  
State Pension ◽  
Diverse Groups

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.

scholarly journals ARBEJDE ER LIVET: Refleksioner over „det grænseløse arbejde“

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Baarts
Keyword(s):  
New Technologies ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Working Life ◽  
Task Orientation ◽  
Flexible Working Hours ◽  
Flexible Working ◽  
Time Work ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Relationship

The boundaries between working life and other life are shifting. The post-modern employee has become personally responsible for organising his own work in both time and space. This may lead to the experience of increased mobility between working life and other life. Flexible working hours, as well as an overlap between working activities and leisure activities, veil the distinction between working time and other time. Furthermore, individuals experience time differently, connecting time not only to linearity but also to events and tasks at work. The physical frames of work are also undergoing dramatic changes. New technologies enable the individual to carry out his job anywhere and at any time. Work is not only performed at specific workplaces, but also at home, in trains, planes - almost anywhere. As such tasks, rather than time and place, have become the organising principle when it comes to the relationship between working life and other life. And task-orientation makes it difficult to distinguish between the categories “working life” and “other life” in practice. In fact, work is not just a part of life. Work becomes life, just as life becomes work.  

scholarly journals GENDER AND HEALTH IMPLICATIONS OF EXTENDING WORKING LIFE: CROSS-NATIONAL PERSPECTIVES

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S819-S820
Author(s):  
Aine Ni Leime ◽  
Debra A Street
Keyword(s):  
Older Workers ◽  
Working Life ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Pension Policy ◽  
Policy Debates ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
Gender And Health ◽  
Pension Age ◽  
State Pension

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.

scholarly journals National and local labour force projections for the UK

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-149
Author(s):  
Ludi Simpson
Keyword(s):  
Economic Activity ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Policy Research ◽  
Local Planning ◽  
Local Labour ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Pension Age ◽  
The Uk ◽  
State Pension ◽  
The Impact

Labour force forecasts are required by local planning, legally guided in the UK by regulations on land use. Methods of forecasting the labour force, and data available for UK practice, are reviewed here. A best strategy for sub-national forecasts of the labour supply is found empirically to involve an accurate national forecast with a local starting point. Key trends are the decreasing economic activity of young adults, the increasing activity of older adults and the impact of changing state pension age. However, there exists neither an acceptable national forecast of economic activity nor a standard approach to local forecasts. Software for implementation of sub-national forecasts is described, and six types of scenarios are listed to aid local planning, which reflect uncertainty about current trends and the impact of changes in policy. Research and development of forecasting the national and the local labour force is urgently needed.

Working beyond the state pension age in the United Kingdom: the role of working time flexibility and the effects on the home

2007 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 849-867 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANDREAS CEBULLA ◽  
SARAH BUTT ◽  
NICK LYON
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
The State ◽  
Contractual Arrangements ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Flexible Working ◽  
Domestic Lives ◽  
Pension Age ◽  
State Pension ◽  
Working And Living Conditions

ABSTRACTThe present and future security of employee-pension funding remains at the forefront of public debate across Europe and beyond. In the United Kingdom, to finance future pension entitlements it has been suggested that the state pension age be increased. This paper presents the results of analyses of four major national social surveys that have explored the working and living conditions of workers in paid employment after the state pension age. Comparing the circumstances of these workers with workers just below that age illustrates the extent to which it constitutes a break in the working and domestic lives of older people. The findings suggest that, in order to accommodate older workers in the workplace, more attention may need to be placed on informal as well as contractual arrangements of flexible working. Beyond part-time working, older workers rarely take up additional or alternative flexible working arrangements. At the same time, older workers continue to experience housework as burdensome, while in partnered households the gendered division of domestic labour prevails. Research and policy have yet to consider in depth these risks associated with working longer in life.

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