Exclusive: Now 9.8 million men over 60 had their national insurance contributions paid by the state

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The revised DWP answer

Revised figure doubled for ” men only national insurance subsidy”

The Department for Work and Pensions has revised the estimated number of men over 60 who received what are known as ” auto credits” towards getting a full pension from 4.65m to 9.8m between 1983 and 2018.

The 4.65 million figure was already staggeringly high but the new figure is more than double the number previously disclosed. It is also well over double the number of 1950s born women who are currently waiting for their pension for up to six years.

The scale of the payments has been kept quiet by the Department for Work and Pensions for 37 years. It was only revealed last month when Myfanwy Opeldus, one of 3.8 million women facing now a six year delay to get her pension, got the admission from the ministry through a Freedom of Information request. 

Letter issued after court hearing

Yesterday the Department for Work and Pensions wrote to her again raising the figure to 9.8 million. The letter came just after the Court of Appeal hearing into the judicial review this week heard about the plight of women affected by the rise in the pension age and was told by Michael Mansfield about the men receiving ” auto credits” which was not known at the time of the first judicial review.

The new disclosure makes it even more galling for the women who were originally promised they would have their national insurance contributions paid between 2010 and 2018 only to have the offer withdrawn a year before it was due to start. A number have had to pay thousands of pounds to make up the sum for a full pension while others simply have not been able to afford it.

The letter does say that not all 9.8 million men would have benefited as some would have died, others would have full insurance records and some would have been working abroad.

enormous subsidy for men

Nevertheless the scale of the subsidy must be enormous and a benefit for people years after it was offered by Sir Geoffrey Howe, the Chancellor of Exchequer in 1983, to encourage men to get off the dole to keep the very high unemployment numbers down at the time.

This story seems to get worse and worse so let us hope there will some justice from the courts for all the women concerned.

84 thoughts on “Exclusive: Now 9.8 million men over 60 had their national insurance contributions paid by the state”

  2. Does this mean that women should be compensated between 2010 and 2018 in terms of NICs? If they don’t, then it’s clearly discrimination on the grounds of sex by successive governments!

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  3. It’s appalling that subsequent governments have got away with this, while 1950 women have had to continue working. Not a word was mentioned by DWP in the first court hearing, you have to wonder what else they are hiding, it’s total discrimination and Back to 60 deserve full restitution, so keep fighting and a big thank you from me who was born I. 1954 and have only just picked up my state pension

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    • As a 1947 born woman, I was technically legally able to retire at 60 but could not afford to and continued working till I was 71, albeit part time latterly, not even claiming state pension till I was 62 in order to top it up a bit when I did. Even with this small top up, I get well below what any later retirees get, well under £7,000 as opposed to new retirees getting over £9,000. This is the same for men also, In fact my husband gets less state pension than myself and also has no private pension and is still working at age 72. Are us older retirees going to get a refund of almost £3,000 a year if new retirees get back payments, no one mentions that?. And a top up to current levels going forward ? Surely unfair if all new retirees claim for back payment of over £9,000 a year but us older ones still get a lot less. I have no other pension as did not earn enough in private sector to pay into one and only recently that private sector employers have been obliged to set private pensions up. ( I was c
      overed for NI contributions though whilst bringing up my children so not sure why anyone would not have enough years paid in , especially men, as they would have continued working anyway ).

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    • I too had to wait for my 170 pension I live in a bought house with a poll tax of 236 per month I have no other pensions but do not qualify for any other help because I have more than 16k savings I may have to leave my beloved house somewhere along the line because I won’t be able to afford to stay had I known I wouldn’t get my pension for another four years I could have arranged my finances differently

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  4. I was never informed I wouldn’t retire at 60 I am now 62 years old I didn’t get equal pay I raised my children and worked unbelievable they paid credits for males only we have been robbed

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  5. Meanwhile I was told when I retired through I’ll health at 62 that I needed to pay years 17/18 18/19 & 19/20. I managed £700 for 2017/2018 but can’t afford the other 2 year shortfall so get reduced rate of pension in nov 2020 (66) the new retirement age .

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  6. It’s about time all of us women should have retired at 60 with our state pension. We have been robbed of it, and this should be paid back to us now. To wait until we are 66/7 is an absolute disgrace. We’ve paid in since we were 15/16/17 . Juggling work, bringing up children, and looking after our ailing parents. It’s a complete injustice and scandal. Care home scandal too, selling their homes to pay for their care. Life should be a pleasure shouldn’t it???? Not in this case. We’re all living longer..Are we?? What about all the women who have died before 66?? They died of heartbreak, because of worry, about how they would survive, after being told they could retire at 60..Who gets their pension after they have passed away??? No one, back in the pot to bail out their stupid corruption, and debt….Who really cares about us?? Make it better now for all the 50’s women NOW…😡

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    • What evidence do you have of women dying of heartbreak as they did not have their pension?
      I am all for campaigning but I am also all for keeping it real !

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      • Then I suggest you get in touch with tabloids as they have used the word heartache in their articles too. Don’t be mean!

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      • I think you will find that that it is keeping it real. Michael Mansfield took up the case partly because he and his wife run a charity for people affected by suicide and yes there have been suicides attributed to the pension age moving and there is evidence to back these claims up if you motivated enough to research accordingly.

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      • My mother died at 53 having worked back to back with my father in a Dundee jute mill I was 29 and my son was 7 they both did 12 hour shifts that was real alright

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  7. Here here David.
    I just asked an FOI of HMRC re auti credit costs for these men but I will be surprised if they ‘fess up.
    And of course I will have yo ask the DWP about their cost of the enhanced pensions for these 9.6m men gained from auto credits.

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    • Why has this not been splashed around the newspapers. Been on national TV at peak times?
      If people coming to live in this country had this discrimination thrown by them there would be an uproar. Why is there not for us? We are treated as the lowest of the low even though we have worked and paid taxes etc. What happened to fairness and morality. Of judgement and truth? It has been well and truly buried along with decency .

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  8. Surely there is a way of submitting for consideration. I guess not!
    So unfair that men who did not have to put their careers on hold to have children and care for them get credits.

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  9. Thankyou David for updating us on this and once again a brilliant report. And a Big and Massive THANKYOU to Myfanwy too Cant thankyou enough.. how the DWP can claim that MEN are discriminated against and not WOMEN! Well my pee not to mention my BLOOD is boiling right now when my Husband got his pension in full at 65 I have to wait till I am 66 worked full time for 47 yrs solid we couldn’t have children so no breaks and i find out recently that I am 2 years short of receiving the full pension yes this is right even though you need only 35 yrs worth of stamps to quallify for it. not been offered any credits for these 2 extra years im supposed to owe all because I wasn’t born with a tail between my legs and as for women living longer than men thats Rubbish I know of more women than Men dying sooner both our mothers my god mother aunties and friends all passed away before their husbands so to me thats another EXCUSE and even worse theirs a lot of men out there as well as women that have been brainwashed into believing this by our uncaring unscrupulous money grabbing government! EQUALITY! there having a laugh at our EXPENSE…. 😡

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      • It will be because if the contracted out rules. They do apply to men and women but again have not been explained properly so, will come as a shock to some . Get a pension forecast.

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      • Hi Lyn, l have paid 46 yrs NIC – in 2016 the government moved the goalpost cos for the last few yrs l’ve paid into an occupational pension, they decided due to my pension contributions being deducted prior to me paying NIC on them, l have to work more years – no mention of the austerity measures l’ve worked under & where l would have earned more in private sector. I’m now 61, work a 44 hr week over 4 days in order to care for my mum on my days off. Oh yes, as well as running a home but then l’m lucky!

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  12. Disgraceful when all us 50’s women have been robbed of at least £45,000 of our pension, already paid for, not forgetting our employers put towards this money, so they’ve been robbed too.

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  13. Can’t this information be added after the COURT CASE? Sure I read that additional information could be passed on after the Case had been heard.

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  14. Please give me my pension I have worked since 15 and 63 next week had three children paid shortfall of stamps when returned to work so I could have full pension at 60 –its not the tax payers to fund this we have already paid it ourselves it’s our money if we had put it into bank we could just take it out -those who have died have lost it all -give me my pension and let a youngster have my job thank you x

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  15. I am absolutely gobsmacked at reading this information. I am one of those 50’s women having to wait for my pension – this resulted in me having to work longer in a demanding teaching job only to take ‘early retirement’ last year due to my possible retina displacement – now Covid – as much as we could not foresee the virus it just goes further to depress me into wasting those valuable years at work when I should have been enjoying my retirement and drawing my state pension. I also paid the smaller stamp in 1975 when we got married as we could not afford for me pay the larger contribution – it was the difference between putting food on the table or not.

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  16. David
    I hope you realise that credits do not involve physical transfer of Government money to the National Insurance Fund.Credits are also given to those in receipt of pre SPA benefits such as ESA.Many 50s women will have been entitled to up to 22 years of HRP credits.That was the correct policy, but if notional cost is your concern ,try working it out
    Autocredits only apply to the basic state pension (currently £134.25 per week ) .They do not provide enhancement for the New State Pension
    The credits for men are attached to the female state pension age, which is why they taper by date of birth.
    How many women would have benefited from the same auto credit timetable as men ? A vanishingly small percentage near to zero.

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    • Perhaps the main point is the Autocredits applying to men were proposed also for women but then withdrawn. Sex discrimination, no?

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      • Women didn’t need the autocredits as they weren’t paying NI as they were already receiving their state pension. I’d rather have got my pension just like the women than a credit that didn’t matter anyway because I already had enough years.

        Sex discrimination yes but to men who didn’t get their pension at the same age as a woman.

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    • We do get credits for being at home looking after children and it was from 1978. I got 20 credits because I stayed at home to look after my four children.

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  18. Dear Mr Hencke Thank you so much for the information given to me.
    I just thought I would like to draw to your attention,although you probably are already aware . It was something that was mentioned in the courts when they were discussing discrimination and equality . ..
    Men of the same age as me born between 1951- 1953 are able to receive the much higher Pension rate (£40 a week more ).Some would have started School and Work at the same time as me .I was born female in 1952 and retired in September 2015 aged 62.9 months just before the start of the New Pension on April 6th 2016..The page below is very cleverly worded and displayed , and in my opinion used to subtly draw my attention away from me and other Women that Men of the same age are being treated differently from Women who have not only had to wait for up to 3 years for their pension but excluded from claiming the Higher Rate Pension .It took me a while to realise what was happening . I feel as though I and other Women born between 1951 and 1953 have been treated very badly , and discriminated against because of their gender .
    I thought this was to bring about equality between the Sexes ,but it is not equal and the Women born between 1951and 1953 will always be on a different scale of lower pension rate to the Men of the same age
    Thank you for reading my concerns
    Best wishes Christine
    Thank you so much for all that you have done for the 1950s Women
    ⬇️
    ⬇️[Image]

    ________________________________

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  19. Absolutely disgusting, I hope this information can be added to the evidence to support our case, I think I remember at the end of the hearing the Judge said any other submissions could be accepted in writing, but the sound quality wasn’t brilliant.

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  20. Does Pension Services send out letters to those it concerns or do we have to apply for it – my husband born 1956 – does it apply to him?

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  21. How is such a discriminate decision allowed to happen ? This generation of women have in a lot of cases worked, been care good or their parents and childcare for their children. In essence filled huge gaps to keep our social structure going and this is how we are treat. In maya Angelou’s words I may not remember what you say and I may not remove all you do but I will remember how you make me feel which is for me means of little worth to society only men appear valued.

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  22. My life was turned upside down when my late husband died at aged 63 and I was 59. I had to claim benefits and was persued by the DWP for 6 years until I received my state pension at 66. The stress not receiving my state pension and being widowed was unimaginable…
    I was robbed of my husbands pension
    And robbed of my own pension

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  23. I to have been told that I don’t have enough nhs contribution to receive a full state pension, have to pay for extra years. I am also having to wait until I am 66 I am also on disability surely this isn’t really fair.

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  24. Well done to the lady who through perseverance got the Information and admission from DWP about the contributions paid to 9.8 million men

    Every little helps in enhancing our case

    Keep up the good work and congratulations to the proactive women and men too

    Nneess to say the excellent legal team

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  28. l was made redundant 4 years ago.and haven’t got a full time jop since.only xmass temp .l get my pension September this year.and have been told LM sort on my stamps.as l haven’t worked.realy think what thay have done to us is awful.

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  29. The government should be ashamed of themselves & hang their heads low, let us all retire to free up jobs for the younger generation, which long term would be more dost effected WIN WIN FOR ALL.

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  31. I’m just wondering what the mortality rates are between men and women during the said period, since the govt. seems to be saying that women are living longer.

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  32. that’s about right I’m beyong angry women missed out yet again done the right thing and being wronged once again lm 1950s woman cared for children worked part-time divorced my ex husband is sitting on nice fat pension not me

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  33. Another sneaky under-handed thing to add to this governments disgraceful treatment of Women.
    A Woman will NEVER be equal to men,
    They deserve far better treatment for having children, plus working, looking after Grand children and elderly parents, and to be treated as 2nd class citizens or lacky’s, by people in government
    They earned their earlier retirement after looking after the so called breadwinner plus all of the above!!!
    Well enough is enough!!!
    If this case fails once again, I WILL be breaking the law.
    I am not going to allow them to make me feel worthless anymore!!!!

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  35. I have worked for 43 years and brought up 3 children. I get so angry for the average women we are always on minimum wage.
    women always have to fight for everything. My husband is still working at 69 years old and we are bringing up my 6 year old granddaughter as my daughter is a single mum.

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  36. Well ,as one of the 1950’s women, I received my 1st state pension payment on the 24th this month, whoopee!!!! missing out on 6 whole years . When in 2010 I was planning my retirement carefully with a reputable financial advisor, not once was it mentioned to me that the goalpost would be moved from 60 to 62 and …….then 66. If he didn’t know , how was I supposed to ????. My ex husband born a year earlier than me got it at 65! Call that fair. ? And now this new information. Thank you ,thank you for publishing it. Hope it gets added to the case. And we can get JUSTICE.

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  37. Yes the whole issue for me apart from massive inequality in the 1950s 60s and 70s is the lack of notice. I got a letter when I was 58 and thought I would be retiring in 2 years only to find I couldn’t retire until I was 66.

    It was devastating and destroyed my husbands and I retirement plans.

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  38. There is no such thing as equality in this country ,the women are used and abused by all parts in the Westminster halls,no wonder we are so angry they equality is at the heart of the workforce ,no such thing ,time now once and for all to sort this out make it law and pass a bill so no single party can alter

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  41. I’m puzzled. Why is no media organisation broadcasting this devastating (to the Defence) additional information that supports the case for discrimination against 50’s women? I’ve seen nothing about the case on any of the main news channels. Why?

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  42. I think the government should never our robbed our pensions, they should have looked elsewhere to find the money. I think a good idea would have been to get rid of the Peers and save on the money they give them, money for the old boys. They cost us thousands each year, maybe we don’t need so many of them.

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  43. Maybe if the government cut the attendance allowance for the fat cats in the House of Lords they would be able to pay us women all the money they have swindled from us, over 800 lords now and they can claim over £300 for just turning up and signing in, and they have the cheek to say they can’t afford to pay our pensions.

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  44. Why hasnt this been reported by the BBC,or any other news channel, or news paper. Because we have been robbed of our right ,we were promised pension at 60.had it have been any private pension provider it would have been front page news.

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    • I agree, why has not one newspaper, tv channel or radio station picked up on this,I am fed up of listening to every word Trump mutters which the above are all happy telling us all day long, something so important that effects 3.5 million women has not been given the attention it deserves,
      Good Luck Backto60 give us our day of justice.

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  45. I do hope that this revised information about the men’s auto credits has been submitted to the courts.
    My husband who is 65 retired last December,I on the other hand have another 3 years before I can retire at age 66, how can that be equal that I have to work an extra year as a women.
    Further discrimination in my book.

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  46. My God.
    Us 50’s women just keep on giving!!
    Makes you wonder what else they have done to us?
    As for the comment that women live longer and therefore will benefit more than men is an absolute discriminative remark.
    I work with men and over the last 35 years have realised that I have ‘put up’ with vindictive behaviour. Pay rises, Christmas Bonus’s… Others around me getting very generous amounts and me nothing. I summoned up courage it took me a while to ask for a pay rise and was told in no uncertain terms that there was nothing in the pot!!
    This is fact as I do payroll. Put up and shut up.
    A month later after being ignored, I was offered a £20 a week pay rise. Not bad eh since my last raise was 2010. Others had 5 times that.
    I’m still there as I am 66 this year and cannot afford to retire. I was widowed in 2003.

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  47. I was born in 1954 for majority of my working life I geared everything up to retire at 60 which obviously didn’t happen. What has really really upset me is that the men I was at school with so the same age as me still got their state pension at the age of 65 as promised by the government with no change so whereas it had always been the case women got their state pension first men were getting their pension before women so where’s the equality in that. It’s just rubbing salt into an already very open wound

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  48. I was born in 1954 for majority of my working life I geared everything up to retire at 60 which obviously didn’t happen. What has really really upset me is that the men I was at school with so the same age as me still got their state pension at the age of 65 as promised by the government with no change so whereas it had always been the case women got their state pension first men were getting their pension before women so where’s the equality in that. It’s just rubbing salt into an already very open wound

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  49. Boris has payed out for so many causes due to the virus, but when asked about restitutions of #60 women’s pensions he said the treasury said that it would be too costly.(our money). So who does decide , the law or the treasury?

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  50. Boris has given out so much money in causes to help businesses during this pandemic, right down to £50 bicycle repair kits, but when questioned about restitution of #60 women’s pensions , he said, the treasury said it would cost too much money. So who decides, will it be the law, or the treasury?

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  51. What a great job David is doing. My wife ( born 1953) had to work another three years before her pension was paid having worked all her life and bringing up the children. I was a financial advisor for large Insurance company all my life and was not informed that changes would take place.The way the successive governments have dealt with this is an absolute disgrace.

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  52. I will be very interested what Anne Widdecombe has to say about the latest findings.
    She would have known about this for sure.
    Perhaps an apology to us 50’s women for her derogatory remarks.
    Good job us women have each other’s backs.
    Do not need people like that with nasty vicious lies. Or is that the norm in parliament. Cover up everyday to make women suffer unjustly.
    Well Ms Widdecombe what’s your excuse for not backing us??
    We will not go away that’s a promise not a threat.
    I’ve always looked out for others and respected their views. Not yours. Fight them on the beaches! Providing your not on it.
    Amen

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  53. Pingback: DWP Paid 9.8 Million Men Pension ‘Auto Credits’ – City of Plymouth Credit Union

    • We will perhaps get an answer in October.
      There is no excuse to treat women in this way.
      Thank goodness this has now come to light. What else have we been excluded from?
      I cannot believe this was passed by all male mp’s where were the women?
      Honesty best policy??
      How we have all been shunned. Shame on whoever you are.
      Definitely not an even playing field.

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    • Well Elaine, I am too astounded that the Government keep brushing us under the carpet.
      Not only that other women in government have been party to it.
      My wish is that all this comes out In the media.
      I’m 66 next month, widowed for 17 years, still working and have come to the decision that it is definitely a mans world.
      Equal rights never. What else have they hidden.

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  56. I am puzzled by the posters. As a man I was being discriminated against by having to wait until 65 for my pension whereas had I been a woman I would have received it at 60. The government is correcting the discrimination against men by now treating everyone equally regardless of sex and women see it as discrimination against them. Take a step back and think it over.

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  57. I find this OUTRAGEOUS. Why are we being discriminated against.
    Women have been undervalued all our lives.
    We paid extra percentage of our earnings so we could retire at 60 and then to find out the government took it away. Men have been getting extra it makes my blood boil.

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  58. As a woman, I was shocked that my pension is the lowest of any female friend. I assume it is due to being contracted out in the past (which many married women were) but also taking early retirement despite having worked for 38 years. I am stunned that a male may have had any lack of contribution covered by the government but not a woman.

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  59. Typical … Not surprised to be honest!
    Again and Again we see party politics manipulating legislation to achieve their political aims.
    Back in the 60’s when the 11 Plus was the qualification to proceed to grammar school education… 11 Plus results were manipulated then… Girls were failed, although they had not!
    Boys were passed, although they had not. This was done to put put more boys through Grammar School Education to fulfil their required work force!
    So No, it doesn’t surprise me that the government continues to discriminate!

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  60. I pointed this out in 2016 as I knew my husband received it. I have a letter from the DWP confirming I would get auto credits if I were in the same position. I did not receive them. The DWP then told me women were no longer entitled. I paid thousands of pounds to get my full state pension. That is not equality.

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  61. Well done for bringing this whole sorry payout to 9.8m men. Unfortunately, yet again that figure is only a baseline number; if one assumes everyone of those men was married, for example, put bably outlived by their spouses, then 9.8m women who were their wives, could have become widows and received an augmented Widow’s pension as well; a potential of 19.6m total beneficiaries of Governmental largesse. This is because a Widow’s pension is normally based, at least partially, on their late husband’s NIC record. Yet 3.8m, now 3.6m still living, 50’s born women have to go without recompense ‘because there’s no money’. It is such utter tripe and total inequality how these women have been treated, discriminated against and plain lied to by UK Governments since 1995. It’s time to put the record straight and pay them THEIR monies which were hijacked for “biggest savings ever made” according to George Osborne.

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  63. Pingback: Labour MP takes up scandal of the 9.8 million men who got free national insurance credits while women got nothing | Westminster Confidential

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