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.

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.

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.

scholarly journals Extending working life and the management of change. Is the workplace ready for the ageing worker?

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (11) ◽  
pp. 2397-2419 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Wainwright ◽  
Joanne Crawford ◽  
Wendy Loretto ◽  
Christopher Phillipson ◽  
Mark Robinson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Working Life ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Line Managers ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Ageing Worker ◽  
Human Resources Managers ◽  
Pension Age ◽  
State Pension

AbstractIncreasing longevity and the strain on state and occupational pensions have brought into question long-held assumptions about the age of retirement, and raised the prospect of a workplace populated by ageing workers. In the United Kingdom the default retirement age has gone, incremental increases in state pension age are being implemented and ageism has been added to workplace anti-discrimination laws. These changes are yet to bring about the anticipated transformation in workplace demographics, but it is coming, making it timely to ask if the workplace is ready for the ageing worker and how the extension of working life will be managed. We report findings from qualitative case studies of five large organisations located in the United Kingdom. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with employees, line managers, occupational health staff and human resources managers. Our findings reveal a high degree of uncertainty and ambivalence among workers and managers regarding the desirability and feasibility of extending working life; wide variations in how older workers are managed within workplaces; a gap between policies and practices; and evidence that while casualisation might be experienced negatively by younger workers, it may be viewed positively by financially secure older workers seeking flexibility. We conclude with a discussion of the challenges facing employers and policy makers in making the modern workplace fit for the ageing worker.

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.

scholarly journals Country-scale greenhouse gas budgets using shipborne measurements: a case study for the UK and Ireland

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 3043-3063 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carole Helfter ◽  
Neil Mullinger ◽  
Massimo Vieno ◽  
Simon O'Doherty ◽  
Michel Ramonet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Central Region ◽  
Waste Treatment ◽  
Methane Emissions ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Co2 ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Uk

Abstract. We present a mass balance approach to estimate the seasonal and annual budgets of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) of the United Kingdom (excluding Scotland) and the Republic of Ireland from concentration measurements taken on a ferry along the east coast of the United Kingdom over a 3-year period (2015–2017). We estimate the annual emissions of CH4 to be 2.55±0.48 Tg, which is consistent with the combined 2.29 Tg reported to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change by the individual countries. The net CO2 budget (i.e. including all anthropogenic and biogenic sources and sinks of CO2) is estimated at 881.0±125.8 Tg, with a net biogenic contribution of 458.7 Tg (taken as the difference between the estimated net emissions and the inventory value, which accounts for anthropogenic emissions only). The largest emissions for both gases were observed in a broad latitudinal band (52.5–54∘ N), which coincides with densely populated areas. The emissions of both gases were seasonal (maxima in winter and minima in summer), strongly correlated with natural gas usage and, to a lesser extent, also anti-correlated with mean air temperature. Methane emissions exhibited a statistically significant anti-correlation with air temperature at the seasonal timescale in the central region spanning 52.8–54.2∘ N, which hosts a relatively high density of waste treatment facilities. Methane emissions from landfills have been shown to sometimes increase with decreasing air temperature due to changes in the CH4-oxidising potential of the topsoil, and we speculate that the waste sector contributes significantly to the CH4 budget of this central region. This study brings independent verification of the emission budgets estimated using alternative products (e.g. mass balance budgets by aircraft measurements, inverse modelling, inventorying) and offers an opportunity to investigate the seasonality of these emissions, which is usually not possible.

The effect of melatonin implants on breeding activity and litter size in commercial sheep flocks in the UK

1990 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Haresign ◽  
A. R. Peters ◽  
L. D. Staples
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Season ◽  
Litter Size ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Mating Period ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Commercial Farming ◽  
Natural Breeding ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Subcutaneous Implant

ABSTRACTTwo trials were undertaken to investigate the effects of treating seasonally anoestrous ewes with melatonin implants on date of first oestrus and other aspects of reproductive performance.Trial 1 involved a total of 368 Mule ewes and 79 Scottish Blackface ewes on five farms, approximately half of which were treated with a single subcutaneous implant of melatonin (Regulin®), containing 18 mg melatonin, between 23 July and 6 August 1986 and the remainder acted as untreated controls. Treatment had no significant effect on the date of first oestrus or conception rate in Mule ewes, although it increased the number of Scottish Blackface ewes mating (92% v. 73%) and the number of mated ewes conceiving (69% v. 54%) in a 5-week mating period, resulting in significantly more treated ewes lambing (63% v. 37%; P < 0·01). Litter size was higher in 4/5 flocks, although this only reached statistical significance in one Mule flock and the Scottish Blackface flock.A total of 2116 ewes from 17 commercial flocks were used in trial 2, approximately half of which were Suffolk/Suffolk-cross ewes and the remainder Mule/Mule-cross ewes. Implantation with melatonin occurred between 22 June and 24 July 1987. Flocks with over 100 ewes were divided into three equal-sized groups and treated with either 18 mg melatonin (one implant of Regulin, 36 mg melatonin (two implants of Regulin given at the same time) or acted as untreated controls. Flocks with less than 100 ewes contained only the 18 mg melatonin and untreated control groups. Treatment with melatonin significantly advanced the date of first oestrus in most flocks of both breeds (P < 0·05) but the magnitude of this effect was variable. Significant (P < 0·05 at least) increases in ‘potential’ (from scanning) mean litter size (+0·13 to +0·18) and actual mean litter size (+0·11 to +0·14) resulting from treatment with melatonin were apparent in ewes of both breeds when the data were pooled across all flocks, but only in 4/17 of the individual flocks.These results indicate that treatment with melatonin implants may be a simple and effective way of advancing the breeding season and enhancing litter size of early lambing flocks under commercial farming conditions in the United Kingdom, but treatment must be given >60 days before the start of the natural breeding season for benefits in date of first oestrus to be manifest.

FORMAL INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXTS AS OWNERSHIP OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR THE ORGANIZATION OF COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS AT UNIVERSITIES — COMPARATIVE DATA FROM SWEDEN AND THE UNITED KINGDOM

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (05) ◽  
pp. 1069-1092 ◽  
Author(s):  
PETER LINDELÖF
Keyword(s):  
Technology Transfer ◽  
Transfer System ◽  
Science Parks ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Us ◽  
Institutional Contexts ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Historical Developments ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Similar Legislation

This paper identifies differences in institutional contexts (legislation) between Sweden and the UK and their effects on technology transfer policies. It then proceeds to examine how such activities are organized by universities. Empirical evidence from surveys conducted with technology transfer managers at eight Swedish universities and eleven UK universities gathered in Sweden and the UK during 2004 is analyzed. It is argued that the historical developments of these systems depend on different institutional contexts, which influence the modes of organization. The UK technology transfer system is based on similar legislation to that of the US, with IPRs being granted to the universities. The Swedish system, however, grants IPRs to the individual researchers, though with some new features — such as science parks and incubators — suggesting a change towards greater agent (university) involvement in encouraging technology transfer. This change indicates a breakthrough for the "entrepreneurial university" in Sweden.

scholarly journals Government as Institutional Entrepreneur: Extending Working Life in the UK and Japan

2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 535-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
MATTHEW FLYNN ◽  
HEIKE SCHRÖDER ◽  
MASA HIGO ◽  
ATSUHIRO YAMADA
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Working Life ◽  
Light Touch ◽  
Institutional Entrepreneurship ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Welfare Systems ◽  
Institutional Entrepreneur ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Uk

AbstractThrough the lens of Institutional Entrepreneurship, this paper discusses how governments use the levers of power afforded through business and welfare systems to affect change in the organisational management of older workers. It does so using national stakeholder interviews in two contrasting economies: the United Kingdom and Japan. Both governments have taken a ‘light-touch’ approach to work and retirement. However, the highly institutionalised Japanese system affords the government greater leverage than that of the liberal UK system in changing employer practices at the workplace level.

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.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document