Waspi Women: The History and the Fight for Justice

'Waspi women' are women born in the 1950s who were affected by changes to the state pension age in the United Kingdom. The acronym WASPI stands for "Women Against State Pension Inequality." In 1995, the Conservative government under John Major announced plans to equalize the state pension age for men and women in the United Kingdom. This was a significant change, as women had previously been able to claim their state pension at age 60, while men had to wait until age 65.
The 1995 legislation was implemented in 2011, and it had a significant impact on women who were born in the 1950s. For these women, the state pension age was raised to 65 in two stages, with the first increase in 2010 and the second in 2018. This meant that many women had to work for several years longer than they had expected, and some were forced to retire earlier than they had planned.
The changes to the state pension age were deeply unpopular with many women, and a number of groups were formed to campaign for compensation. In 2015, the WASPI campaign was launched, and it quickly became the largest campaign group representing women affected by the changes.
The WASPI campaign has argued that the government failed to properly inform women about the changes to the state pension age, and that many women were unaware of the impact that the changes would have on their retirement plans. The campaign has also argued that the changes were discriminatory because they disproportionately affected women.
The government has repeatedly rejected calls for compensation for WASPI women, arguing that the changes were necessary to ensure the sustainability of the state pension system. However, the campaign has continued to fight for justice for WASPI women, and has achieved a number of important victories in recent years.
In 2019, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman found that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) had failed to properly inform women about the changes to the state pension age. The Ombudsman ordered the DWP to pay compensation to women who had been affected by the changes.
In 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that the government had acted unlawfully in not informing women about the changes to the state pension age. The Court ordered the government to pay compensation to women who had been affected by the changes.
The WASPI campaign has been a long and difficult struggle, but it has achieved a number of important victories. The campaign has raise awareness of the injustice that women born in the 1950s have faced, and it has forced the government to take action. The WASPI campaign is a testament to the power of collective action, and it shows that even when the odds seem stacked against you, it is possible to fight for justice and to win.

The WASPI campaign is a reminder that the fight for gender equality is not over. Women continue to face discrimination in many areas of life, and we must all work together to create a more just and equitable society.