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[Dorothy]

You have to have a certain number of years of payments for your state pension, but I can't remember how many.

[Dancinggirl]

I think we are a generation that has more put on us than ever before. There has been the trend that expected us to be super women, holding down a job as well as rearing a family and now we have to work longer and care for our elderly relations as well.  It's no wonder that so many women end up on ADs.
When I had my first baby I got really cross when people asked me when I was going back to work - I thought being a mother was a proper and very important job, particularly in the first 2-3 years. I couldn't hold down a full time job because my son had special needs so I did have be creative and do freelance jobs that fitted around my kids needs.
I've had to do quite menial and boring jobs over the years and rarely earned above the minimum wage but I am very fortunate now in working for a company who appreciate experience and I do a job that I enjoy and has flexibility. I hope to continue being a tour guide at least until I retire - I'm 59 now and I don't get my pension till I'm 66 and 7months I think.
Our generation also have the challenge of caring for older relations for longer(as people live longer) and often our children need financial and practical help for longer as well. We are squeezed from both ends.
Finding any kind of work once you hit 50 is difficult but finding work that you can realistically do, well into your 60s, is a real challenge.
Add menopause symptoms into this mix and then there are really big problems. Taking better care of women in their 50s and 60s would pay big dividends for society generally.
DG x

[peegeetip]

Just a quick point.

"Did the article mention the battle that ladies have getting their GPs to recognise symptoms ……… which is often the 1st battle even before we get to work"

If we could all agree what menopause is, then that would be a good start.
No wonder docs don't treat it seriously when we are in such a disarray on what we want to recognize it as.
Some education and consistency all round would be a good start.

If some say oh its nothing, some say it just part of what we have to put up with, some say its a good thing and others try to just ignore it hoping it will go away, some don't want to talk or admit its existence, some dont want to treat it etc etc.

If doc's cant get it right then how can we even start to hope that our jobs or employers understand.

I've seen friends who've been off work long term in the past with back problems and depression, and no one questions those.
Suddenly we have menopause and due to our vague view as to what it is, no one knows how to understand it.

If we truly understood that it is a serious condition and inline with many other "illnesses" we treat with a lot more respect then we could start to progress away from the unseen taboo and stigma.
If we really want all doc's to treat us all seriously and without the "oh no not another" derision then we have to agree to it being something that needs to be treated, respected and understood properly.

Some might disagree but in my own mind, I felt ill, looked ill and wanted someone to help me with what I was suffering with.
To call it anything less or make excuses, just muddies the waters and gives opportunities for excuses and avoidance we often encounter on our journey's.

As for making a choice between work and kids, why should we ladies put up with anything less than a man would expect.
Perhaps more men should give up work and stay at home with their kids.

 

[Dancinggirl]

Excellent post peegeetip - I absolutely agree.  DG x

[honeybun]

Men staying at home wouldn't help a menopausal woman though.

I was the one who stayed at home to look after my children. I could never have earned as much as my hubby.
I wanted to be a stay at home mum. We made choices, obviously there was not as much money around as if I had worked. I think I was very lucky to be honest. I thoroughly enjoyed being with the children. I also think they both benefited by having a stay at home mum.

Honeybun
X

[peegeetip]

The comment was more a matter of similar treatment. You missed my point.

Why should we put up and shut up with menopause or put up and shut up with staying at home with the kids.
A man would not put up with what we put up with in menopause.

Would love to hear your comments on the rest of my post HB?

 

[rosebud57]

Women are always undervalued and underpaid.  Sadly I don't think that is going to change anytime soon.  It's always worse in a recession when there are less jobs around generally.

Personally I am definitely coming back as a man next time. 

[honeybun]

I don't think I did actually.

As for the rest of your post you make some very good valid points.

Personally I have not put up and shut up with my menopause symptoms. I actively asked for the treatement I thought was appropriate for me. I have always been vocal and honest with regard to my symptoms.
It's a pretty sweeping statement to say that men would not put up with what we put up with. We all have differening problems whether you are male or female.

Neither did I put up or shut up by staying at home with my children....it was my choice and I loved it.
I don't think I would like to be a man either....pressure to provide for a family and work hellishly long hours. Think I would rather be a dog 

Honeybun
X

[Ju Ju]

I won't get my state pension until I am 66. I was born in 1954. For quite a few years, I understood I would get my pension at 64, then suddenly the goal post was moved. I'm lucky that my husband has a pension from his job and because of health issues, took my small pension early. We manage, but I do wonder what would have happened if I was on my own.

[Taz2]

You have to have a certain number of years of payments for your state pension, but I can't remember how many.

Found it https://www.gov.uk/state-pension/eligibility  - thirty years.

Taz x

[honeybun]

You get credits while you are claiming child benefit.....blooming good job otherwise I would be sunk.
I think if you don't have enough contributions you get 60 pounds a week that you can make up with pension credits, so all is not lost if you don't have 30 years.


Honeybun
X

[CLKD]

Menopause is recognised - it's the end of menstruation.  Which like when periods begin, will vary hugely within an individual's calendar as well as between women.  To be sure 1 has to have not seen a bleed for 12 months in order to move from peri-being menopausal.  What was never explained was the symptoms that might accompany this stage of Life 

What isn't acknowledged are the various symptoms that women suffer with, often long before some GPs will accept that this can begin 'earlier' than expected.  Symtpoms vary in intensity as well as being different between women ……… and GPs tend to work through the symptoms presented to them in order ……… hence if a lady goes into Surgery in tears then ADs will be offered.  We know that testing blood for hormone levels is reliable in it's unreliability  …….

What happens is that GPs have a short time scale to see patients what ever they present with.  What I would like to see is a dedicated Practice Nurse/GP doing a 'special' Clinic for ladies who have un-explained symptoms in the way that we can walk into a VD Clinic, Mums and Tots Clinic etc.; dedicated would be a start, with no rush in the appt. time.  Of course for some conditions the Drugs Companies will host evenings ……… maybe there isn't the drug necessity in the same way for menopause symptoms  ….. somewhere for GPs etc. to get together and maybe that would spread into specific evenings for ladies.

As for working Mums - I made the choice: no kids.  DH and I have worked since we were 17, sometimes even in the same Company  - I never did get used to him being in the corridors of where I worked …….. it made my heart jump every time we met 

Many men do stay at home with their children.  It's not in the media though.  Some men stay at home because the Mum has died and it's the way of keeping the children together.  It's not in the media though.  Men don't have to put up with menopause, other than taking the flack from their partners.  In the same way as DH put up with my temper tantrums when I was pre-menstrual, for some reason he stayed     Parenting should be valued !!!! 

As for Pensions, the Government changed the goal-posts - any other organisation would have been sued, did I see a 'pensions4U Solicitor' offering to fight the Government on my behalf - did I heck …… JuJu - I'm lucky too.  I had a small NHS Pension, DH retired and still cares for me ……

With chronic conditions it can be hard work being heard by the GP - when I was very depressed I was unable to express myself, fortunately my body language told the whole story.  Once I was more stable I was able to make a double appt with the GP to talk through issues.  Same with meno symptoms, he noted what it was likely to be before I did 

[Hurdity]

Hi there

Re the state pension - it used to be 30 years but the new state pension starts next April 2016 and anyone who starts to receives pension after this age it's now 35 years for the full new state pension 
https://www.gov.uk/new-state-pension/how-its-calculated

Also you have to have 10 years even to get the basic state pension. As honeybun says you get credits for the years you claimed child benefit (used tobe up to a maximum of 15 years), provided you weren't working or self-employed. It's changed since 2011 and to another system of NI credit but still automatic for children under 12 - not sure whether the max number of years has changed?

If you have between 10 and 35 qualifying years you will only get a proportion of the full state pension. I started getting pension forecasts in 2007 when they started fiddling with the retirement age ( I think ) and our circumstances were changing and still with young-ish children - it's easy to do this and definitely worth doing if you are within 10 years of pension age to see how many qualifying years you have.

Hurdity x

PS - sorry - this isn't about menopause ....

[Night_Owl]

Regarding NICs and pension entitlement rights, recently I checked and apparently *currently* (this may change) 35 years NICs are required in order to get the full pension (I have 34).

I was born in 1962 so not eligible until age 67 - possibly rising to 70!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-103952/Retirement-age-raised-70.html

None of the supermarkets are interested in my applications!

Hurdity, thanks for your suggestions. 

[We are planning to move in the spring to be slightly nearer my bereaved dad, after that I may try and find a way into work via voluntary work, Age UK possibly.  My mum dying has taken a lot out of me.  I was hoping to find some temp work to tide me over and get back in the flow of things, but often I fail to get past the receptionist at the agency filtering calls!]

No way could I function in the legal office environment, as I used to!  I would definitely have been hauled over the coals for under performing -  and for looking so hideously tired/unapproachable first thing in the morning!

Would anybody out there who works part time mind revealing what work they've managed to (recently) find / hold on to?


Night_Owl
x

[Taz2]

You can check whether you received credits or not here https://www.gov.uk/national-insurance-credits

A lot of part-time work is in supermarkets Night_Owl - at least it is here in the south. Schools used to be a good place for part time jobs but nowadays you seem to need an NVQ level 3 to even begin to apply for anything.

When I was 58ish it seemed really easy to work on until 65 but lately it's seemed more difficult so I send sympathy to anyone who has to work even further. I do find that I've slowed down a bit and I'm not so quick to grasp new ideas and concepts. I'm the oldest person where I work which doesn't help!

Taz x