BBC News: Defeat for women in state pension age challenge
"Campaigners have lost a significant legal battle against the government's handling of the rise in women's state pension age.
The retirement age for women rose from 60 to 65, in line with men, and will go up to 66 by 2020, and to 67 by 2028.
Women born in the 1950s claim the rise is unfair because they were not given enough time to make adjustments to cope with years without a state pension.
They argued the changes were discrimination, but judges disagreed.
◾The fight over women's state pensions
◾State pension age to rise to 68
In a summary of the court's decision, the judges said: "There was no direct discrimination on grounds of sex, because this legislation does not treat women less favourably than men in law. Rather it equalises a historic asymmetry between men and women and thereby corrects historic direct discrimination against men."
The court also rejected the claimants' argument that the policy was discriminatory based on age, adding that even if it was "it could be justified on the facts"."
Unsurprised by this verdict, as the claims of the objectors never seemed to make much sense.
Firstly, I don't buy the idea that significant numbers could have been unaware for around 20+ years that they would not be getting a State Pension at 60. Every single one of them would have had female relatives, friends, work colleagues, and/or acquaintances who faced exactly the same issue, but we're expected to believe that they were either all similarly ignorant, or never mentioned the subject ever if they knew about it.
Secondly, some are claiming that they had been left financially disadvantaged by not getting their State Pension when they expected. I suppose that might be true of a few non-workers or very low earners, but most workers would have presumably simply continued to do so from 60 to whatever, and been better off.
The bottom line is that the inequality of women getting the State Pension at 60, while men had to wait until 65, had to end at some point, and on top of that the SP age had to rise because people are living longer generally.
"Campaigners have lost a significant legal battle against the government's handling of the rise in women's state pension age.
The retirement age for women rose from 60 to 65, in line with men, and will go up to 66 by 2020, and to 67 by 2028.
Women born in the 1950s claim the rise is unfair because they were not given enough time to make adjustments to cope with years without a state pension.
They argued the changes were discrimination, but judges disagreed.
◾The fight over women's state pensions
◾State pension age to rise to 68
In a summary of the court's decision, the judges said: "There was no direct discrimination on grounds of sex, because this legislation does not treat women less favourably than men in law. Rather it equalises a historic asymmetry between men and women and thereby corrects historic direct discrimination against men."
The court also rejected the claimants' argument that the policy was discriminatory based on age, adding that even if it was "it could be justified on the facts"."
Unsurprised by this verdict, as the claims of the objectors never seemed to make much sense.
Firstly, I don't buy the idea that significant numbers could have been unaware for around 20+ years that they would not be getting a State Pension at 60. Every single one of them would have had female relatives, friends, work colleagues, and/or acquaintances who faced exactly the same issue, but we're expected to believe that they were either all similarly ignorant, or never mentioned the subject ever if they knew about it.
Secondly, some are claiming that they had been left financially disadvantaged by not getting their State Pension when they expected. I suppose that might be true of a few non-workers or very low earners, but most workers would have presumably simply continued to do so from 60 to whatever, and been better off.
The bottom line is that the inequality of women getting the State Pension at 60, while men had to wait until 65, had to end at some point, and on top of that the SP age had to rise because people are living longer generally.
via International Skeptics Forum https://ift.tt/2pHKH5G
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