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Angela Madden was caring full-time for her mother when, in March 2012, she received unexpected news from the government: she would no longer qualify for her state pension for another seven years, despite initially anticipating access to it within two years. Angela is among approximately 3.6 million women born in the 1950s who, according to campaigners, were insufficiently informed about the rise in the state pension age designed to equalize it with men’s. Since then, Angela has become the national chair of the Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) group, continuing the campaign for compensation, as the government has yet to finalize any decision regarding financial recompense.
Having left work at 54 to care for her ill mother, Angela reflects that she would have remained employed if she had known her pension age would be pushed to 65. She stated, “I couldn’t get back into work then really. I could have got zero hours contracts or cleaning jobs but I wasn’t prepared to do that.” Her husband Joe, employed in banking, provided financial support until she reached pension age, a luxury not available to many women in similar situations. Angela recounted hearing of cases where women had to move back in with estranged partners because they could no longer afford to live independently, noting, “It’s a whole emotional thing.”
The shift in the state pension age for women from 60 to 65 was first introduced under the 1995 Pensions Act, with a phased implementation planned over a decade starting in 2010 for women born between 1950 and 1955. However, the 2011 Pensions Act accelerated this schedule, leading to an additional five-year wait for affected women like Angela. She initially sought help from her local MP, who connected her with other women in similar circumstances. This led to the establishment of a Waspi branch in North East Derbyshire and eventually to lobbying efforts in London. Angela criticized the government’s communication efforts, saying, “Apparently there were leaflets about it, but they were mainly in Benefits Offices and of course having never been unemployed I didn’t frequent Benefits Offices.”
A recent parliamentary ombudsman report in 2024 recommended compensating affected women with amounts ranging from £1,000 to £2,950, but the government rejected this proposal. In November, the government agreed to revisit the decision after discovering that a key document had not been presented to the then Work and Pensions Secretary. A review report is expected to be published in February. A spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions acknowledged the commitment to reconsider the decision but cautioned that this does not guarantee financial compensation will be awarded. Angela highlighted the urgency for many women who will not live to see any resolution, including her late sister Imelda, who was also impacted.
In an effort to share their experiences, the Waspi women from North Derbyshire created a stage play depicting their story, which has since been adapted into an audio play titled Stung. Angela remarked, “People who have seen it or heard it think it is fantastic and when we performed it live grown men cried.” She concluded by expressing disbelief at how the government, which is meant to serve the public, “neglected us so badly.
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