Gender and Ageing Implications for Public Policy

Kate Jopling

Senior Public Affairs Officer

Help the Aged

Challenges in public policy

• Demographic ageing is a key public policy challenge

• We have a new strategy for an ageing society – but what kind of society?

• Already an estimated 7500 women over the age of 100 and 5.5 million women over 65

• Women live longer – life expectancy at birth is 81.1 for women and 76.7 for men

• By 2025 the gap is closing, but women still live longer

Challenges in public policy

• Differences in healthy life expectancy are less than differences in life expectancy overall – 69 for women and 66.6. for men

• Women have longer periods of ill health in later life

• Their health issues are different• Do our health and care policies recognise

this? How are they tackling this?

Challenges in public policy

• The face of poverty in old age is female• 22% of single female pensioners are in the bottom

income quintile after housing costs, compared to 14% single men

• Women pensioners are more likely to be in receipt of benefits than men

• Only 16% of women receive a full state pension in their own right

• Only 22% of women have occupational or personal pensions compared to 39% of men

• But do we acknowledge gender differences in our policy approaches?

Challenges in public policy

• Older women are more likely to be unemployed or economically inactive – 34% women 50+, compared to 28% of men

• The Government wants us to work longer

• But is it making work work for women?

Challenges in public policy

• Combating exclusion and isolation is a major public policy challenge

• 7 out of 10 women over 85 live alone compared to 4 out of 10 men over 85

• But what about differences in modes of social contact?

• How does policy respond to the different needs of men and women?

Challenges in public policy

• Is public policy designed to be ready?

Probably not

• But there is hope….

Opportunities in public policy

• New approaches in social care• The Public Health White Paper• New resolve on women’s pensions• An agenda for flexible working • The work of the Social Exclusion Unit

And• The Commission for Equality and Human

Rights

Social Care – key questions

• Women are the main users of social care services

• Whose needs do they meet? - does the day centre model work better for women than for men?

• What does this mean for commissioners?• How can individual budgets help overcome

the problems?

Public Health – key questions

• The White Paper is all about enabling individuals to “choose health”

• The Pennell Initiative for women’s health demonstrated the need for a gendered approach to choosing health in later life

• But which gender is the prime concern – men who die younger or women who live longer in ill health?

• How can we build an understanding of gender differences into the work to implement of the White Paper?

Women and Pensions – key questions

• A new resolve in Government to tackle the “national scandal” of women’s pensions

• But women are already benefiting most from the flagship policy Pension Credit

• Does this mean means testing is OK for women longer term? If so – what about men?

• Should we be crediting women for non-financial contributions or providing a universal basic income?

• Are the solutions gender specific or universal?

Extending working lives – key questions?

• The Government wants us to work longer

• It’s creating pensions incentives, tackling age discrimination and considering flexible working for carers

• It’s also reforming incapacity benefit• But is the workplace ready for more part

time, older, female workers?

Social Exclusion – key questions

• The Social Exclusion Unit is looking at how we tackle the broader issues of social isolation and being “cut off” from society.

• But who is at most risk? – Older single women living alone, or the minority of men?

• How do we ensure community based responses cater for these different needs?

The role of the new CEHR

• The new CEHR will draw together work across equality strands

• Gender Equality and Age Equality strands will be brought together

• A new focus on identifying issues and developing solutions

• Recognising diversity and promoting equality.BUT• A very crowded agenda – so what is the first

priority?

Discussion• Who is being left behind by the lack of

focus on gender differences?

• How can we add an understanding of gender differences to the policy debate?

• What are the priorities for the new CEHR?