Report of the Committee on the Economic and Financial Problems of the Provision for Old Age.

  • Great Britain. Committee on the Economic and Financial Problems of the Provision for Old Age.
Date:
[1954]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the Committee on the Economic and Financial Problems of the Provision for Old Age. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    99/128 (page 93)
    FOR WOMEN _1. While I agree that the savings effected by raising the pension age for single and married women (who have kept up their own insurance) to that of men would be small, I believe that small savings should not be despised. Further, as long as they are physically fit, I can see no reason why one section of the community should be in part supported by the rest of the community, at an earlier age than their contemporaries. If women expect the same opportunities and conditions of work as men, they must also expect to make the same contribution to the productivity of the country through the length of their working life. We have received no satisfactory medical evidence that women over 60 are less fit than men at that age or less fit than they have been during their previous working life. No comparable figures for morbidity in the age-groups concerned are available. Indeed if a wise policy is to be formulated for the best use of the man and woman power of the country, together with provision for old age, a detailed study of the fitness for work in different occupations at different ages in both sexes is required as a matter of urgency. 2. Reference is made in the body of the Report of an Enquiry by the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance, “Reasons given for Retiring or Continuing at Work”, which might suggest that morbidity is higher for women. The authors are insistent however that no comparison can be made between men and women since the Enquiry covered only women insured on their own account and one quarter of the women covered had already given up work more than five years previously. The results may be summarised briefly and are difficult to reconcile. In the case of 1,000 men, who took retired pension at the age of 65, sickness, il] health or strain was given as the reason by 211. Inthe case of 1,000 women who took retirement pensions at the age of 60, similar reasons were alleged by 283. On the other hand, it is stated that one quarter of 4,834 men taking their retirement pension at the minimum age (65) fell into the category of chronic sick and more than a quarter gave ill health, heaviness or strain of work as ithe reason for taking pension, while of 6,592 insured women retiring at 60 or during the preceding five years, approximately 8 per cent. fell into the category of chronic sick and approximately 21 per cent. gave ill health or strain of work as a reason for retirement. 3. Apart from morbidity, it is incontrovertible that the expectation of life of women at the more advanced ages is, in fact, greater than that of men. I would, therefore, recommend restoration of panity between pension ages for men and women at the same ittime as the pension age is raised. (Signed) JANET VAUGHAN. 27th November, 1954. vs)