New research from the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign highlights the deep, ongoing impact of the State Pension age changes on women born in the 1950s. WASPI’s findings suggest that a lack of notice and communication around the State Pension age changes affected retirement plans for millions of women.
WASPI campaigners said that thousands of women were forced to change their plans at the last minute and unable to rely on limited savings. In a survey of nearly 8,000 women, 61 per cent reported a range of lost employment opportunities, saying they had retired or reduced their working hours, expecting to retire at 60. Many had taken up caring commitments for family members or grandchildren in anticipation of retirement.
The research also indicated that 32 percent of affected women were unable to secure alternative employment after attempting to rejoin the workforce, plunging tens of thousands of women into poverty.
