Response to Inequalities in later life report
By: Age UK
Published on 06 December 2017 12:01 AM
Age UK responds to the Centre for Ageing Better’s new Inequalities in later life report:
Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK said:
'In highlighting the financial problems faced by many older women in later life, and the huge differences in wealth, health and other factors across the older population, this timely report very much echoes what we have also found at Age UK.
'How well you do in later life is often the product of a lifetime of circumstances, choices and good or bad fortune coming home to roost. It is especially heartbreaking to see women who have brought up children, cared for older relatives and held down poorly paid part time work finding themselves really hard up later on because they've not got a full State Pension. As this report shows, life is often made worse still for these older women by ill health, bad housing and other difficulties.
'Life can be very unfair on men and women on low earnings and this emphasises the importance of having policies in place to help redress the balance, starting at the cradle and continuing throughout people's lives.'