A happier old age : a discussion document on elderly people in our society / Dept. of Health and Social Security, Welsh Office.

  • Department of Health and Social Security
Date:
1978
Catalogue details

Licence: Open Government Licence

Credit: A happier old age : a discussion document on elderly people in our society / Dept. of Health and Social Security, Welsh Office. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    3 Pension Age 3.1 The age for retirement from regular employment has become increasingly formalised in this country, in that most people are compulsorily retired at the minimum state pension ages—65 for men and 60 for women. Some occupational pension schemes provide for retirement before these ages. Chart F shows the steadily decreasing proportion of men who work beyond minimum state pension age. 3.2 This rigid pattern of retirement suits some people but not others. Some are ready for retirement at the set ages: but others would either prefer to retire earlier or would willingly remain at work for longer. Early retirement is a common goal among people whose health is declining or who work in strenuous occupations. It is attractive if backed up by adequate pension arrangements, but it is a quite different matter if it involves accepting a substandard pension and thus a reduced living standard in retirement. Many people, on the other hand, are not interested in early retirement and place their emphasis on having the opportunity to stay on at work until a date of their own choosing. As the health of the population improves this group may grow in numbers, possibly even giving rise to pressure such as has developed in the USA to root out ‘ageism’ and outlaw compulsory retirement under the age of 70. There is support on all sides, therefore, for a more flexible approach to pension ages. 3.3 At the same time there has been in recent years a heightened awareness of the disparity between the pension ages for men and for women, and an increasing number of proposals for greater equality between them in the arrangements for retirement, as in other aspects of life. The occupational pensions movement have put forward a number of suggestions aimed at the eventual equalisation of pension ages. The Equal Opportunities Commission, who have been studying the issue for some time, have recently published a valuable consulta-
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