Motion #06
Background information: What is the 50s Women CEDAWinLAW campaign about?
CEDAW stands for the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. CEDAW is commonly referred to as the international bill of rights for women. It defines what constitutes discrimination against women and girls and sets out a comprehensive framework for tackling inequality.
In 2019, the UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women advised the UK Government to “take effective measures to ensure that the increase in the State pension age from 60 to 66 does not have a discriminatory impact on women born in the 1950s.”
When the UK government ratified CEDAW, it pledged to dismantle or avoid enacting laws or measures that adversely affect women more than men. The 50sWomen CEDAWinLAW campaign calls upon the Government to provide a financial remedy to 1950s-born women which they have neglected to do.
Historical sex discrimination.
Pension Inequality.
Women born in the 1950s have many faced challenges. The changes in the state pension age introduced by the then Tory government in 1995 has increased. These women, who often began work at age 15, were promised that they could claim their state pension at 60, but the age has gradually been increased to 65 and then to 66, to align with men. This change has had significant financial implications for women who had planned their retirement based on the earlier age and approximately 3.8 million women have suffered direct discrimination.
Additionally, many of these women, when in work, were advised to pay a married woman’s stamp (National Insurance contribution (NI) which led to a reduced state pension. This generation also bore the brunt of childcare and were not routinely made aware that any NI credited on receipt of child benefit would be accredited to the father if they did not receive it in their own name.
Workplace Discrimination and the Pay Gap.
Women of this generation also faced systemic sex discrimination in the workplace, including unequal pay compared to their male counterparts. While progress has been made over the years, many women from this era still experience repercussions as they were unable to obtain a private pension.
50s women pension delay Report 2022.
In November 2022, a report was published by former judge the Hon Dr Jocelynne Scutt AO on the plight of 1950s women who have waited up to six years to get their delayed pension. When the report was published Jocelynne presented it to Parliament.
Finance and the NI Fund Shortfall.
The amount taken from 50s Women has been calculated as £181.4 Billion.
In 2019, CEDAWinLAW, along with other campaign groups, negotiated a £58bn settlement and Labour called it a debt of honour but has yet to pay up.
Other campaign groups were talking with the previous government about a settlement of £7 billion. However, such a small sum will not provide any kind of justice for both the sex discrimination and maladministration or for the financial losses 50s Women have actually incurred.
There is also approximately £80 Billion currently in the National Insurance Fund (NI Fund) which could be used to redress this discrimination.
There is also an estimated £271bn that is missing from the NI Fund, having been used for other purposes separate from the original intended purpose of the fund.
The NI Fund was initially proposed by William Beveridge. The National Insurance Act 1946 implemented many of Beveridge’s recommendations. It expanded the scope of National Insurance to include a wide range of benefits, such as old-age pensions, widows’ benefits, and sickness and unemployment benefits. The NI Fund was established to manage these contributions and payments.
CEDAW GR40 is a recommendation for the equal and inclusive representation of women in decision-making systems.
Our Aims.
To enact The 50s Women CEDAWinLAW campaign and CEDAW GR40 which aims to support women born in the 1950s in the UK by addressing systemic issues that have historically disadvantaged them and we aim to support them.
For the Green Party as a whole and our four newly elected MPs to support and pressurise the new Labour Government to rectify this historical wrong as a moral imperative and finally get these women the justice they deserve.
Conference calls upon the Green Party of England and Wales and our Members of Parliament to:
Last updated on 2024-09-08 at 15:20