Parity (charity)
Encyclopedia
Parity is a United Kingdom
-based equal rights
organisation, campaigning to promote and protect the equality of men and women under the law. Its main focus has been in the area of state pensions and associated benefits, and most of its notable successes have occurred in this field. The organisation was previously called "Campaign for Equal State Pension Ages".
Parity was denied charitable status for a number of years because it was seeking changes in the law to redress statutory sex discrimination, and thus was deemed to be political. It finally gained charitable status in 2005 following a change to the Human Rights Act
.
In its constitution it states its objectives are "to promote and protect the equal rights of men and women to the enjoyment of all civil, political, economic social and cultural rights under the law" and "to institute proceedings in the UK or appropriate European Courts for the purpose of establishing or protecting any such equal rights."
. Their campaigns have stopped government sex discrimination which had illegally denied hundreds of millions of pounds to males between the ages of 60-65.
Successes have so far occurred in four main areas: prescription charges, winter fuel payments, bus travel concessions and widower's benefits.
. Eventually, in 1995 the European Court ruled that it was unlawful to charge men aged 60–65 for prescriptions when they were free to women. As a result men now benefit to the tune of an estimated £30 million per annum. Additionally, £10 million in charges was refunded to those who had wrongly paid for prescriptions in the previous 3 months before the ruling.
to contest the fact that the government was denying winter fuel payments to men aged 60–65 that women were able to receive. It was argued that this was a breach of European laws on equality in social secuity, and that such discrimination was blatant and unjustifiable. The case was referred to the European Court of Justice
who ruled in Mr Taylor's favour in December 1999. The ruling meant up to £26 million pounds per annum in benefits being given to men that otherwise would have been denied.
over the fact that it denied free bus travel
to men aged 60–65. Despite Parity's previous successes, the government had refused to end discrimination in this area. However, In June 2001 it became clear that Parity would win the case if it went to court and the government relented, with John Prescott
announcing men would receive free bus passes from age 60. Controversially, Prescott hailed the move as "another example of the Government providing extra help for pensioners" whereas it had effectively been forced into the move by the European Court of Justice. The Travel Concessions (Eligibility) Bill finally passed in 2003 resulting in males receiving the £50 million per annum in benefits that the state had unfairly denied them.
making false statements that the "overwhelming" majority of domestic violence victims were women. With the aid of the UK Statistics Authority the organisation succeeded and the incorrect claims were removed from. The organisation also forced Gillian Morgan
of the Welsh Assembly to stop making the same claims in the "Strategic Action Plan to Address Violence to Women".
ages for men and women in the United Kingdom. Currently this is not due to take place until 2020.
Other objectives include:
is Parity's President, and the vice presidents include Winifred Ewing MSP, Hilton Dawson
, Baroness Sally Hamwee, and Diana Wallis
. Previous vice presidents include Gwyneth Dunwoody
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-based equal rights
Equal rights
Equal rights can refer to:*Equality before the law, when all people have the same rights*Human rights, when such rights are held in common by all people*Civil rights, when such rights are held in common by all citizens of a nation...
organisation, campaigning to promote and protect the equality of men and women under the law. Its main focus has been in the area of state pensions and associated benefits, and most of its notable successes have occurred in this field. The organisation was previously called "Campaign for Equal State Pension Ages".
History
Parity was formed in 1986 as "Campaign for Equal State Pension Ages" (CESPA) and its principal aim was to obtain for men the same state pension rights at age 60 as are enjoyed by women. The organisation changed its name to "Parity" in 1997 to reflect growing concern regarding increased unequal treatment of men and women by the state.Parity was denied charitable status for a number of years because it was seeking changes in the law to redress statutory sex discrimination, and thus was deemed to be political. It finally gained charitable status in 2005 following a change to the Human Rights Act
Human Rights Act 1998
The Human Rights Act 1998 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom which received Royal Assent on 9 November 1998, and mostly came into force on 2 October 2000. Its aim is to "give further effect" in UK law to the rights contained in the European Convention on Human Rights...
.
Organisation
The organisation is run entirely by volunteers and receives no public funding. It had an income of £2,724 in 2009.In its constitution it states its objectives are "to promote and protect the equal rights of men and women to the enjoyment of all civil, political, economic social and cultural rights under the law" and "to institute proceedings in the UK or appropriate European Courts for the purpose of establishing or protecting any such equal rights."
Achievements
Parity has had some highly notable successes over the years, particularly in addressing sex discrimination against men by the governmentGovernment of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Government is the central government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Government is led by the Prime Minister, who selects all the remaining Ministers...
. Their campaigns have stopped government sex discrimination which had illegally denied hundreds of millions of pounds to males between the ages of 60-65.
Successes have so far occurred in four main areas: prescription charges, winter fuel payments, bus travel concessions and widower's benefits.
Prescription charges
Parity's first major success began in 1993 under its original name, when CESPA member Cyril Richardson, an asthmatic, took the government to court over sex discrimination in entitlement for free prescriptionsPrescription drug
A prescription medication is a licensed medicine that is regulated by legislation to require a medical prescription before it can be obtained. The term is used to distinguish it from over-the-counter drugs which can be obtained without a prescription...
. Eventually, in 1995 the European Court ruled that it was unlawful to charge men aged 60–65 for prescriptions when they were free to women. As a result men now benefit to the tune of an estimated £30 million per annum. Additionally, £10 million in charges was refunded to those who had wrongly paid for prescriptions in the previous 3 months before the ruling.
Winter fuel payments
In 1998 Parity member John Taylor went to the High CourtHigh Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice is, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, one of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
to contest the fact that the government was denying winter fuel payments to men aged 60–65 that women were able to receive. It was argued that this was a breach of European laws on equality in social secuity, and that such discrimination was blatant and unjustifiable. The case was referred to the European Court of Justice
European Court of Justice
The Court can sit in plenary session, as a Grand Chamber of 13 judges, or in chambers of three or five judges. Plenary sitting are now very rare, and the court mostly sits in chambers of three or five judges...
who ruled in Mr Taylor's favour in December 1999. The ruling meant up to £26 million pounds per annum in benefits being given to men that otherwise would have been denied.
Bus travel concessions
In 2000 Parity took the Government to the European Court of Human RightsEuropean Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
over the fact that it denied free bus travel
Free travel pass
A free travel pass is the privilege of a certain class of passengers to use a public transport service without paying a fare or presenting a ticket...
to men aged 60–65. Despite Parity's previous successes, the government had refused to end discrimination in this area. However, In June 2001 it became clear that Parity would win the case if it went to court and the government relented, with John Prescott
John Prescott
John Leslie Prescott, Baron Prescott is a British politician who was Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007. Born in Prestatyn, Wales, he represented Hull East as the Labour Member of Parliament from 1970 to 2010...
announcing men would receive free bus passes from age 60. Controversially, Prescott hailed the move as "another example of the Government providing extra help for pensioners" whereas it had effectively been forced into the move by the European Court of Justice. The Travel Concessions (Eligibility) Bill finally passed in 2003 resulting in males receiving the £50 million per annum in benefits that the state had unfairly denied them.
Widowers benefits
Parity campaigned to end sexism in the payment of widows benefits and bereavement tax allowances. These were previously only paid to women and not men. The campaign achieved success in 2001 as a result the benefits are now available to both genders.Domestic violence statistics
In 2008 Parity campaigned to stop the Crown Prosecution ServiceCrown Prosecution Service
The Crown Prosecution Service, or CPS, is a non-ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for public prosecutions of people charged with criminal offences in England and Wales. Its role is similar to that of the longer-established Crown Office in Scotland, and the...
making false statements that the "overwhelming" majority of domestic violence victims were women. With the aid of the UK Statistics Authority the organisation succeeded and the incorrect claims were removed from. The organisation also forced Gillian Morgan
Gillian Morgan
Dame Gillian Morgan, DBE . Permanent Secretary to the Welsh Assembly Government from 1 May 2008.-Healthcare:Morgan's career has been mainly in healthcare, both in medicine and management and includes a period as Chief Executive of North and East Devon Health Authority...
of the Welsh Assembly to stop making the same claims in the "Strategic Action Plan to Address Violence to Women".
Current campaigns
Parity's main current campaign is to equalise the state pensionPension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
ages for men and women in the United Kingdom. Currently this is not due to take place until 2020.
Other objectives include:
- Equal state funding for treatment and research for male and female specific diseasesSex and illnessA sex-specific illness is an illness or disease that occurs only in people of one sex.In a more general sense, sex-related illnesses are illnesses that are more common to one sex, or which manifest differently in each sex. For example, certain autoimmune diseases may occur predominantly in one...
. - Equal liability for men and women over 60 for National InsuranceNational InsuranceNational Insurance in the United Kingdom was initially a contributory system of insurance against illness and unemployment, and later also provided retirement pensions and other benefits...
contributions. - Equal treatment of male and female victims of domestic violenceDomestic violenceDomestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
. - Better government policies to ensure a more equal gender balance in the primary school education.
- Funding for research into life expectancy inequalities between men and women.
- Equal status for separated parents and better enforcement of contactContact (law)In family law, contact is one of the general terms which denotes the level of contact a parent or other significant person in a child's life can have with that child...
and maintenance orders. - Equal anonymity for defendants and complainants in sex offence cases until conviction.
Supporters
A number of politicians from several major parties actively support Parity. Lord RaglanFitzRoy Somerset, 5th Baron Raglan
FitzRoy John Somerset, 5th Baron Raglan .The 5th Baron Raglan was the son of FitzRoy Richard Somerset, 4th Baron Raglan and the Hon. Julia Hamilton. He married Alice Baily, daughter of Peter Baily, in 1973. He and Alice were divorced in 1981. They had no children.The family seat is Cefntilla Court...
is Parity's President, and the vice presidents include Winifred Ewing MSP, Hilton Dawson
Hilton Dawson
Thomas Hilton Dawson, known as Hilton Dawson, was the Labour Party member of Parliament for the Lancashire constituency of Lancaster and Wyre from 1997 until 2005.-Early life:...
, Baroness Sally Hamwee, and Diana Wallis
Diana Wallis
Diana Paulette Wallis is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is a Member of the European Parliament for Yorkshire and the Humber. Wallis was first elected in 1999 and re-elected in 2004 and in 2009....
. Previous vice presidents include Gwyneth Dunwoody
Gwyneth Dunwoody
Gwyneth Patricia Dunwoody was a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Exeter from 1966 to 1970, and then for Crewe from 1974 to her death in 2008...
.