To wonder if you know anyone who has never really worked?

[doitanyways]

If so, how did their life pan out?

In particular, what did they do after retirement age?

[harshbuttrue1980]

MrsDevere, I assume she will still be able to get housing benefit? I'm not 100% certain about this, but people on benefits do seem to be able to keep their houses when the children grow up - probably why lifelong council tenancies are ending, as its such an unfair system.

Exploding, I think the jobcentre staff have targets to get people back to work. They would rather put their resources into people like your parents who are likely to be able to find work and they can then claim that your parents have gone back to work thanks to the jobcentre. People with no work history are tougher nuts to crack, so they probably get left alone. It doesn't seem fair that workers who lose their jobs through no fault of their own get treated like scroungers. People who have paid their NI should be trusted to find a job for a certain time period without being hassled. Also, its easy for people who can't be bothered to work to deliberately muck up a job interview.

[doitanyways]

Me

[MazzleDazzle]

My MIL has never worked and she's 64.

She got pregnant young, married and had another 2 kids. Husband left her in her mid-forties (when kids were grown up) and she's been playing the system ever since.

They have a large family house with a mortgage. Her DH pays half and the rest is paid on her behalf through some sort of housing benefit. She only has to pay a fraction of her council tax. She gets other benefits every week and will get a state pension when she retires. Also her ex-DH helps her out.

She does nothing for charity, nothing for the local community or indeed anyone else. She is selfish, needy and a pain in the ass. Give me a job over her life any day!

[Canyouforgiveher]

Not counting the women of my mother's generation who all had to give up work on marriage (although one of my aunts never had a job at all, not even before marriage. It seems odd to think she never got a paycheck, never had such a universal experience of going into work.)

My husband's aunt has never worked. She is a lovely woman with an excellent degree, speaks several languages fluently. She could probably have done several interesting jobs. She never married or had children. I think she had mild depression and anxiety which stopped her - and there was enough family money to mean she didn't have to support herself. Her retirement is pretty much like everyone else's.

My friend's sister had one job out of college for about a year, married, gave up work, and has never worked since. again, I think it was avoidance of life to a certain extent - she is pathologically shy. she reared her children and took care of elderly parents but has very few outside social contacts beyond family.

I knew one woman living off social welfare, four children, deserted wife. her mother had been the same - deserted by husband, but she worked all her life as a cleaner to support herself. This woman's siblings worked and made good enough lives for themselves but she just stayed stuck in sw. It was a hard life in many ways - council house, but it was damp, no big treats besides cigarettes, nothing much to look forward to. She died young enough of a chest infection. One of her children got out of the cycle. The other 3 live similar lives.

In general, I think people are happier if they have some sort of employment, whether it is volunteered or paid or whatever.

[MazzleDazzle]

Yes, you can voluntarily top up/pay your NI.

[to0thypeg]

Me too. I've worked on and off for a few years, but mostly studied and/or volunteered instead due to a litany of health issues. Whenever I needed to, I used student loans to keep up with national insurance. I don't feel guilty about not contributing more to the economy, because I think I've given to society in plenty of ways. I worry more about not installing sufficient work ethic in the DCs, and sometimes feel a bit sad about not having been able to use my qualifications.

[JaceLancs]

Close friend has never worked since dropping out of college 32 years ago, was a stay at home parent for many years, but now all DC have left home, some with own families
Some mental health issues around anxiety haven't helped situation
Not old enough to be of retirement age yet do no idea how thus will affect but I imagine will just exchange current benefits for retirement pension

[HairySubject]

My dad has never worked, either lived with women who worked or claimed benefits all his life. Now he is a pensioner he receives a basic state pension, everyone is entitled to that I think, it is the state second pension that you NI contributions are for.

[goodnessgraciousgoudaoriginal]

Yes. At least three people who are now in their 30's.

They think - like another poster I saw up thread - that for some reason they should be entitled to pursue their hobbies and do whatever they feel like, and other people should subsidise this.

It annoys the fuck out of me that they are always the ones pushing for higher tax rates, and complaining about lack of benefits/cuts to the NHS when they have never paid tax in their lives, or contributed sod all to the health service.

They honestly do think they are somehow too special to take a job in retail or whatnot.

[FelicityFunknickle]

Yes. Three personally.
But not many who have 'never" worked.

[to0thypeg]

At the moment I think most benefits transition into a state pension automatically at 65 - my guess though is that it won't be so easy for those of us currently in our 30s and 40s.

[Samcro]

i don't ever assume people don't work, people assume I don't

yeah cos caring 24/7 for a severely disabled adult isn't work...and said adult will never work.
(assumes op is a GF)

[expatinscotland]

Yes, my mother. She got married young and was a SAHM and then a stay at home wife. They are now in their 70s and doing just fine.

But I see, that was the intention of this thread. It's just more benefits bashing nonsense.

[FlameProofBoots]

Mil hasn't worked since having children 45 years ago. They inherited property and are living off that and fil's pension. They do very nicely, and have always planned their finances well.

[doitanyways]

Yes, that was me MrsDeVere

I am at the end of my rope. Actually I can't be - I keep saying I am but I'm not! I think perhaps more to the point is I feel like I'm in prison myself.

Arf, I can't honestly explain how bloody awful his life is. No heating - I mean, I know it's a mild December but still - the shower doesn't really work, downstairs toilet stinks of stale urine (guess he doesn't have a great 'aim') no light in the kitchen and I don't honestly seriously think he's changed the sheets on his bed for over a year.

He would die. Either at his own hand (he's tried before) or going back on drugs or just through slow starvation.

[Postitblue]

I think the difference is now compared to current pensioners, our state pension is not guaranteed - I bet if you've a private one they will withhold it down the line.....

Also the cost of living is so high now (housing especially) that it is a genuine worry how people who haven't had any income (again - those who chose not to work not disabled / carers etc) will get by in the future.

[Birdsgottafly]

I know loads.

I'm in Liverpool and I think that those who were in their peak as the 80's and real unemployment hit, got into the mindset that it wasn't worth ever looking for work.

They've fared better than their peers on low incomes, who bought their homes.

My Mum was stuck in her house, with rotting Windows and too big for her, whilst her neighbours in Council houses, had everything upto date and were rehoused into bungalows etc, when needed.

Income wise they manage, because they've always had small incomes. In some cases, their now adult children who have never worked, rally round them at Christmas etc and they manage.

There's that many Charity and Community services, the only difference in standard of living shows when comparing middle class pensioners to WC, none between non working and low waged.

When I did Home Care, it was family and community that made a persons standard of living better.

[MrsTerryPratchett]

I still think you should talk to the Adults Team at SS. He is vulnerable. He just is. And you may not be able to care for him forever so someone has to be up to speed.

[Birdsgottafly]

In terms of private pensions, they can work against you and you can only by pennies better off.

[MrsTerryPratchett]

www.nhs.uk/Conditions/social-care-and-support-guide/Pages/assessment-care-needs.aspx#eligibility

[doitanyways]

Terry, he would give them an impatient brush off, he really would.

In his head, an amazing job is just around the corner. When he gets that, he'll sell the house he lives in now and buy a nice apartment in the city. He'll get a girlfriend, go on holiday, have a nice car.

When he gets the job.

Which won't happen. But in his head it will.