Page 3 | Louise Perry seems unecessarily unpleasant about WASPI women

Carla786 · 2026-01-30T00:45:46+00:00

I understand disagreeing for one reason or another, but I think her tone is rather unpleasant. Is the issue really as clear-cut as she seems to think?

Sophomore · 31/01/2026 19:35

I agree with LP on this. I think the WASPI women are appalling and their campaign risks making people think all older women are this thick and entitled.

JenniferBooth · 31/01/2026 19:57

Workisntworking · 30/01/2026 22:14

My mum is not particularly interested in the world around her. However she knew about this. I recall her bemoanng that she just fell into the group it would impact. We had that conversation in a house she moved out of in 1994!

It beggars belief that these women expect additional money when our young people need helping out. The young should not be funding people who are either not very bright, or rather greedy.

Which is convieniently forgotten when free childcare is expected of them.

Seagullstopitnow · 31/01/2026 21:16

I was 14 in 1993 and I was aware of it.

Workisntworking · 31/01/2026 21:16

JenniferBooth · 31/01/2026 19:57

Which is convieniently forgotten when free childcare is expected of them.

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Well my mum who knew back in 1994 has not provided childcare, free or otherwise. So no hypocrisy here.

TempestTost · 31/01/2026 21:56

persephonia · 31/01/2026 11:51

It's not just older women this affects though. (I agree there is ageism and mysogyny.)
You see it about other groups too. Eg I agree we can't give everyone who wants asylum in the UK asylum. We don't have the space or money. But there is a gleeful element to some on the rights fantasies about how they would deal with it. Or the constant references to "3 meals a day" (how many meals should families be given?. Or the fraught issues of welfare cuts. It's not enough to reduce funding because the money isn't there. It has to be accompanied by diatribes about how feckless layabouts claim that their feral kids have ADHD to scrounge from working families. When anyone who has had to be a career/try to get support for children with health problems knows the reality is different. But they are SCUM and deserve to be punished. If you ever try to push back on this demonisation, there is then a retreat to the Bailey of "the simple fact is we can't afford it".

The cruelty is the point basically. Add it's supposed to leave people isolated into silos and building up their own personal grievances. It's a really bad way of doing politics practiced by people who claim to be politically astute. And its done by people across the political spectrum but it benefits the far right in the long term.

But empathy is toxic now! So it might be my real problem is my toxic femininity of course.

There are people like this, and online in particular has this weird obsession with hyperbolic nastiness - stuff like videos titled, See Jordan Peterson DESTROY FEMINAZI GRIFTER". And it's not limited to one political perspective it's just ubiquitous.

That being said, I fine there are a lot more times when I see someone say something like "It won't work to keep giving that amount of money for just one student to get to school, we need other solutions" or whatever, and the response seems to be, you must be an evil fucker who hates children and wants SEN kids lobotomised"

It's really hard to make any point that involves limits to services without being accused of basically being evil.

TempestTost · 31/01/2026 21:59

RoyalCorgi · 31/01/2026 13:37

I think we can all agree it was right to equalise the retirement ages. The question we're debating is whether women who had carried out financial planning on the not unreasonable assumption that they were going to retire at 60 should have some form of compensation.

I'm slightly on the fence about it. I think it's weird that when the Waspi campaigners wheel out examples, they are really not very sympathetic ones. Like that woman who retired at 55 thinking she was going to pick up a state pension at 60. But as Brefugee points out, there are women who are genuinely hard up who have been adversely affected by this. And I think we should all remember that women tend to be worse off anyway, in pension terms, because many stopped working and therefore paying into a pension in order to bring up children.

What strikes me is the main issue for those living in poverty now isn't necessarily the pensions. There were other things that maybe would be more sensible to address?

persephonia · 31/01/2026 22:06

TempestTost · 31/01/2026 21:56

There are people like this, and online in particular has this weird obsession with hyperbolic nastiness - stuff like videos titled, See Jordan Peterson DESTROY FEMINAZI GRIFTER". And it's not limited to one political perspective it's just ubiquitous.

That being said, I fine there are a lot more times when I see someone say something like "It won't work to keep giving that amount of money for just one student to get to school, we need other solutions" or whatever, and the response seems to be, you must be an evil fucker who hates children and wants SEN kids lobotomised"

It's really hard to make any point that involves limits to services without being accused of basically being evil.

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That's the other side of it.

"Oh you want to give WASPI women extra compensation. Guess you are happy for younger benefits claimants to starve! Or haven't younger people suffered enough!"

They completely go together - the other side are pathetic/weak/deserve to be punished. If I receive the same energy back I am being victimised. See how fast people switch from rate baiting persecutor to hurt victim on X.

It's 100% not just one political side doing this, and I think the WASPI issue crossed party lines anyway. There's a difference between being biased according to your own interest which everyone is really and being aware of that. And seeing other identity groups as the enemy. The left obv has flirtend with hyper identity politics. But its also a game the right plays as well. I don't know how LP.would class herself. But she's definitely hopping on that trend. Probably because it's profitable. Which makes me respect her a lot less. And there are plenty of people I disagree with on a fundamental level but who I sort of respect .

Donttellempike · 31/01/2026 22:09

Brefugee · 31/01/2026 12:55

It is NOTHING like asylum.

The government have already admitted that there is a cohort of women who have been absolutely shafted and some are living in abject poverty in old age. They are identifiable if anyone actually took the time to work out who they are.

But because they are old women, who have spent their entire lives being shafted by society for being female, we don't care. And are subject to people saying things like "well some old people are rich so tough tits."

They have been treated appallingly, they are identifiable and ... they are old ladies. So nobody gives a flying fuck.

It is disgraceful.

Completely agree. Smug young women should STFU on this issue. Information was not always instantly available as it is now.

Some people knowing changes nothing

It people are too stupid to understand that, it’s on them

persephonia · 31/01/2026 22:11

Donttellempike · 31/01/2026 22:09

Completely agree. Smug young women should STFU on this issue. Information was not always instantly available as it is now.

Some people knowing changes nothing

It people are too stupid to understand that, it’s on them

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She's middle aged to be fair. Same as me.

Donttellempike · 31/01/2026 22:13

persephonia · 31/01/2026 22:11

She's middle aged to be fair. Same as me.

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Doesnt make it any better TBF.

BoxingHare · 31/01/2026 22:17

I'm nearly 60, most of these Waspi women are swinging the lead. They must have been locked in boxes since 1993 to not know about the changes. I've no sympathy for anyone who never looked at a TV or newspaper, they chose to remain ignorant of the world around them. I think a lot of them have very selective memories tbh.

BoxingHare · 31/01/2026 22:20

Donttellempike · 31/01/2026 22:09

Completely agree. Smug young women should STFU on this issue. Information was not always instantly available as it is now.

Some people knowing changes nothing

It people are too stupid to understand that, it’s on them

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Oh get away, it was all over TV programmes, radio, and newspapers. You could barely get away from the subject in the mid nineties.

BoxingHare · 31/01/2026 22:24

OldCrone · 31/01/2026 15:27

The WASPI women do themselves no favours by being dishonest about what happened.

This is from their FAQ.

FAQs - Women Against State Pension Inequality

Our campaign is not about the change to the State Pension age itself; it’s about the lack of notice of that change. Although women born in the 1960s have had an increase of six years to their SPa, they received a much longer period of notice than women born in the 1950s. The DWP did finally get around to writing to all women in 2012. This meant that women born in the mid 1950s had an 18-month or two-year notice of a rise of nearly six years to their State Pension age. Women born in the early 1960s had a notice period of at least eight years, and much longer for most 60s women.

Under the Pensions Act 1995, for those born between 1950 and 1953 the pension age increased gradually from 60 to 63. These women had at least 15 years notice of the change.

Those born in 1953-55 were hit hardest by the 2011 changes, and found that they would have to wait an extra year or two for their pensions but they were given at least 4 years notice of this as they would have been due to retire in 2016 or later under the 1995 rules.

Details of changes here.
State Pension age timetables

Original retirement ages from the 1995 Act.
Pensions Act 1995

Completely agree with you. They totally misrepresent the facts on their website in their attempts to try and make people feel sorry for them. Unfortunately it seems to have worked on a lot of people, but thankfully it's also got them nowhere as not everyone is taken in.

Original poster

Carla786 · 31/01/2026 23:25

Snorlaxo · 31/01/2026 12:55

I’m not going to mess up my algorithm output and click on the links but if this person’s X tweets are a source of income then they need to state a strong opinion to maximise revenue and be in a chance of more lucrative side hustles like tv and podcast interviews or a column. Right wing opinions are fashionable at the moment as they are loudest and amplified by Trump being in power and as most adults are online, the tone of SM content from the US affects the UK too even if the politics are different. We know that we have been manipulated by bot content since at least the Brexit referendum. Discussing comments made by people like this increases their employability for a certain audience and are designed to rage bait. Engaging with them expands their reach and helps pay their bills so beware.

Excellent point.

I think this applies to Perry's podcast too, which I'll elaborate on later.

OP posts:

ScrollingLeaves · 01/02/2026 00:30

People forget what it was like for women born then. Much lower wages, therefore underpaid in the first place. Far less chance to build a career and pay for a better pension. Looking after children with no nurseries or before and after school clubs. Often having to work part time in the worst jobs. Not so much HRT for the menopause and yet they were having to persevere etc when we know how badly affected women are.

Windrush women and other immigrants who worked exceptionally hard under very trying conditions must be many among them..

This ignoring Waspi women is all about saying they have no power or importance so ignore them.

Lunatone · 01/02/2026 01:09

ScrollingLeaves · 01/02/2026 00:30

People forget what it was like for women born then. Much lower wages, therefore underpaid in the first place. Far less chance to build a career and pay for a better pension. Looking after children with no nurseries or before and after school clubs. Often having to work part time in the worst jobs. Not so much HRT for the menopause and yet they were having to persevere etc when we know how badly affected women are.

Windrush women and other immigrants who worked exceptionally hard under very trying conditions must be many among them..

This ignoring Waspi women is all about saying they have no power or importance so ignore them.

But those are all irrelevant side issues. The diversity of experience of individual women is enormous, and pensions are not a compensation program for past disadvantage which may or may not have occurred.

GarlicBound · 01/02/2026 02:22

Those of you sneering at us for not having precognition (before 1994?!) or timely knowledge of the pension age increases for women - have you read the Ombudsman's report? It's a sad catalogue of half-done jobs, missed opportunities and general sloppiness.

A ministerial submission from December 2007 shows DWP knew people did not understand the impact of the changes for them. It says: ‘One of the key issues is that whilst some women do in fact have an awareness of the impending change, they do not understand how this relates specifically to them’.

I'm not putting more quotes because I'd be quoting half the page:
https://www.ombudsman.org.uk/publications/womens-state-pension-age-our-findings-department-work-and-pensions-communication/what-did-happen

What did happen | Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO)

What did happen 74. Here we consider the various steps DWP took to communicate changes to State Pension age. We then go on to consider the research conducted by and on behalf of DWP and the actions it took following that research.

https://www.ombudsman.org.uk/publications/womens-state-pension-age-our-findings-department-work-and-pensions-communication/what-did-happen

BoxingHare · 01/02/2026 08:55

I've read the ombudsman report. From memory it says that from the mid nineties communication was good, what with the extensive TV, radio, and newspaper coverage. Then later there was a dip and communication wasn't so good, particularly around the later changes. And it's this that comes in for criticism. Not everything.

BoxingHare · 01/02/2026 09:02

Those of you sneering at us for not having precognition

I was mid twenties when it was extensively covered. Waspi women were, at their oldest, early to mid 40s.

I understood then that when I retired it'd be at 65. I had zero interest in pensions then, and I suspect neither did a lot of women in their forties. Hence the collective amnesia about it.

I'm not surprised the Pensions Service didn't grasp that some women didn't understand because it is at its core a fairly simple concept.

WomenAreNotForSale · 01/02/2026 09:30

GarlicBound · 30/01/2026 20:13

Thanks for this. Me, too - at least partly:

Second wave feminists tried to be like men, farming out child care to poorer women.

This is such an ignorant misrepresentation of all we did, against what obstacles, yet so widespread that I've given up countering it. Still makes me bloody cross, though, in a "Why did I even bother?!" sort of way.

She then goes on to recognise it without even recognising it:

I’ve felt crushed by the dialogue on Twitter/X, the complete lack of sympathy for older women. Misogyny is always ok when directed at women past their last fuckable day it seems.

The ‘ok boomer’ narrative is tiresome. Blaming the older generation for absolutely everything. It was always hard to find affordable housing. Always. In London anyway.

Yes, yes, it was, it is, and it is crushing.

These 'reactionary feminists' are very annoying. I've been trying to give up feminism to focus more on elderly rights - turns out I can't, though, because old women get the short end of every stick. The sticks that hit old men hit old women twice as hard.

Mine was an exciting and difficult time to be a woman. It was exciting because the women before me had built a great foundation for us to make real, tangible differences to women's rights, freedoms and opportunities. The obstacles previous feminists had to surmount were even more daunting; they did it. We did what was needed next.

It pisses me off to see so-called feminists merrily deeming the job done, compromising women's prospects for the future while developing various styles of half-arsed feminism and putting my generation down. I feel like they don't deserve any efforts I might make to see them better-placed in their older years.

I think I'll open my wine and watch some detective crap on Netflix.

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The intersection of age and sex is certainly instructive.

I predict the demonisation of old women will only worsen in the near to mid future.

And that there is a huge need for feminist work in exactly that area.

Pingponghavoc · 01/02/2026 10:04

The age men can claim state pension has changed, too. And i dont know of any men who are unaware of their retirement age.

The problem is the complicated acceleration in 2011. Some women involved must have been aware that they were due to retire after 60, but probably didnt know the exact date. Or thought it was early than it was based on the 1995 announcement.

I think it was a maximum of two years difference. I can imagine that would have caused problems for women if they did retire early or were planing based around getting a pension up to two years earlier than they did.

I think people are having hot takes because it is more complicated than lots of people realise, and they think its waspis wanted compensation for retiring at the same age as men.

Nothernwannabe · 01/02/2026 11:00

There are changes to the tax and benefits system all the time, often at no - or only a few months - notice. Just in the last few years we've had the 2 child benefit cap introduced, the removal of child benefit for higher earners, the removal of the winter fuel allowance, the changing terms on student loans (& the massive increase in tuition fees), the increase of the school leaving age to 18, council tax surcharges... and on and on. There are losers in all these policies, but they don't get compensation. This is the price of being a society.

There is a safety net for the poor and sick: the means tested benefit system. Yes, it's not a lot, but it is there. The idea that the WASPI women get nothing and those that came just a few years later are much better off is wrong.

And the notion put forward by some on this thread that WASPI women were all trail-blazing feminists who set up the benefits women enjoy today is also wrong. Women born in the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s..... have all had their battles and setbacks to fight and overcome. We are all building on the advances of previous generations. The WASPI women aren't any different - or anything special.

Finally, there are still benefits that people get from the age of 60 - including the WASPI women: free prescriptions, free eye tests, free public transport (in London), discounted leisure activities (railcard, tickets etc) and so on. And those WASPI women who retired early and took their occupational pensions (like that ridiculous headteacher who seemed to be the figurehead for the WASPI campaign) benefited from not paying national insurance on their pension income - unlike their peers who were still working.

All the money the WASPI women have spent on this campaign and all their legal costs would have been much better directed into a charity fund to help those in need not covered by, or to top up, the social security system.

I do think they have been led up the garden path by the Labour govt - but so have students who were promised by Keir Starmer in the past that Labour would get rid of tuition fees.

OldCrone · 01/02/2026 15:30

And those WASPI women who retired early and took their occupational pensions (like that ridiculous headteacher who seemed to be the figurehead for the WASPI campaign) benefited from not paying national insurance on their pension income - unlike their peers who were still working.

The woman in this article?
Waspi women say they were 'sold down the river' in pension age change as hundreds protest nationwide | ITV News Anglia

I have some sympathy for less educated women who weren't aware of the changes, but it's hard to have any sympathy for a well-educated woman who had worked her way to the top of her profession but somehow managed to fail to see any of the news items about this, and didn't bother to do any planning for her retirement.

TempestTost · 01/02/2026 15:55

I think there is an element that many people think that even if there are some individuals who deserve some extra help around this, many, maybe even most, are actually taking the piss.