The Women’s Equality Party reaffirms its position in support of the WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality) campaign. The campaign addresses the injustice experienced by women born in the 1950s who have been unfairly impacted by the way that changes to the State Pension Age have been implemented. WE are in favour of the equalisation of state pension but not at the cost of the rights of women who never enjoyed the same career opportunities and income as men and have been doubly disadvantaged by societal expectations that within the family women would undertake the bulk of caring responsibilities as well as domestic work.
The government has repeatedly failed to adequately inform women of changes to the number of years of National Insurance contributions required to qualify for a full pension and changes to how spousal contributions support the partner’s pension. The lack of information and shortage of time for women to prepare is woefully inadequate and is having a detrimental impact on the health and wellbeing of many women.
WE will actively and visibly support the WASPI campaign and call upon the government to acknowledge and honour the contract these women believe they entered into when they began paying National Insurance and to implement fair transitional pension arrangements for all women born in the 1950s.