To think statutory maternity pay should be the same amount as the state pension?

Thats exactly what I meant - it’s not swings and roundabouts at all! It’s not comparable.

No one’s saying you shouldn’t have a pension, we’re saying mothers should have better SMP. It’s not a case of who wins, it’s a case of everyone being able to afford to live a comfortable life, with essential bills for housing and food being affordable.

It’s not just a case of “cutting your cloth” like many of the older generation like to believe. Jobs used to be for life. Utilities were affordable. Housing, whilst having periods of high interest and limited borrowing, has increased exponentially meaning your generation of home owners are now sitting on £hundreds of thousands of pounds of unearned money whilst those in their 20s have to live with parents or rent rooms.

Im not suggesting you don’t get a pension, im suggesting more needs to be done to support the younger generations.

Thats exactly what I meant - it’s not swings and roundabouts at all! It’s not comparable.

No one’s saying you shouldn’t have a pension, we’re saying mothers should have better SMP. It’s not a case of who wins, it’s a case of everyone being able to afford to live a comfortable life, with essential bills for housing and food being affordable.

It’s not just a case of “cutting your cloth” like many of the older generation like to believe. Jobs used to be for life. Utilities were affordable. Housing, whilst having periods of high interest and limited borrowing, has increased exponentially meaning your generation of home owners are now sitting on £hundreds of thousands of pounds of unearned money whilst those in their 20s have to live with parents or rent rooms.

Im not suggesting you don’t get a pension, im suggesting more needs to be done to support the younger generations.

No one is saying otherwise. But todays pensioners didn’t cause the housing or cost of living crises.

We also got 18 weeks maternity pay, had massive mortgage interest rates and could only borrow 3 x 1 salary + 1 x times the next over 25 years and didn’t get free child care.

Swings and roundabouts.

In addition, we all didn’t have numerous toilets, rooms for every child and didn’t change our furniture every 5 minutes, have our children in clubs every night, or have numerous holidays and individual cars.

We cut our cloth.

Except that would be illegal to discriminate like that.

It wouldn't. Ever heard of youth unemployment exploding? there are threads here on MN talking about youngsters sending out hundreds of CVs and unable to find any job. Well, there are several reasons, but increased NMW for under 20yo is one of the key ones. Why would you hire someone inexperienced if you can get a trained worker for for just slightly more.
This wouldn't affect professionals as much because they usually get their full salaries for 6-9 months, but low skilled workers, who usually get SMP, employers will simply shift to older women or men.

With all due respect, how much was your mortgage or rent 30 years ago? I’m going to hazard a guess it’s no where near that of today’s mothers, who have to pay extortionate prices to keep a roof over their heads. Who benefited? Your generation.

When you were having children, the cost of living was as such that one working parent was common. Now most families need two working parents, often both full time.

It’s not the same. I wish the 50+ generation understood the difficulties this younger generation is having. They seem to dismiss it as “we all had it” but that’s just not true.

So why say SMP claimants should get the same as those entitled to SP - what is the correlation? Pension is a deferred income that we have paid to get.

I have worked for 45 years paying national insurance to pay for my SP through national insurance. I still have another 6 years to due to the pension age being raised. I agree SMP isn't great and never has been. It wasn't fantastic when I had my family. When you have a family you have to adjust to the financial changes. Simple as that.
For those saying today's workers are paying for my pension that isn't true I've already paid for my own !

So why say SMP claimants should get the same as those entitled to SP - what is the correlation? Pension is a deferred income that we have paid to get.

No there is no relativity between SMP & SP.

So why say SMP claimants should get the same as those entitled to SP - what is the correlation? Pension is a deferred income that we have paid to get.

They got 18 weeks maternity leave, no free child care, and now after managing to work their way through all that and still pay contributions to the NHS, you think they don’t deserve a pension?

I never said there was.

Plenty of women recieving pensions were SAHMs and didn't contribute for many years.

Wow... and I know people who don't need to claim SMP or indeed ever work as they are rich......so where does that get us now.

There just is no comparison between SMP and SP!

Good question. What about them?

I don't get this at all. Retirement most definitely is a choice for most people.

Why are you telling me this ?
I took my nhs pension at 55 ….I’m all good thanks 🙄
like I said….having a baby is a choice….getting old isn’t

Many errors and assumptions in this. I’m a pensioner and get £194 per week. Retirement isn’t a choice. Maternity is usually a choice.

Many couples work full time and just about break even with the cost of living being what it is. The financial climate is a big reason for the birth rate dropping.

What about the pensioners who are parents?

Many of us can also chose when to retire. There is no longer a mandatory retirement age.

I always ramped into a private pension in my 20s because I knew I moght have some time off in my 30s due to having children.

We had our first when I was 34 and saved up and worked on the basis that me giving up work woukd not be a dealbreaker. Unusually for the mid 90s my employer was flexible and suggested I could return part-time which I did at the start of the next sales quaeter when DS was 4 months old and all maternity pay entitlement had expired. 6 months then; 90% for 6 weeks, stat mat for 12 thereafter. Sadly, DS1 was poorly and I gave up work after a year, for 7 years. NI contrubutions were made, linked to child benefit. (Very important for their pensions that women with partners above the threshold claim the CB and their partner repays it)

I returned to work, local and public sector in 2003 and am contemplating retiring in the next 18 month. In September I'll have enough contributions excluding the contracted out years, to receive the full state pension. Overall, my occupational pension will be about three quarters of a full pension due to years not working. My employer didn't contribute to the company pension scheme until I was 24 - in those days they didn't have to.

It's really important to plan financially, saving x amount from day one so it is never noticed.

I don’t think it’s about who has it harder. The problem is that young people are very squeezed financially in their 20s and 30s and if we want future tax payers to look after all our pensioners the we need babies.