bmcjmp@burdvax.UUCP (07/20/83)
It seems to me that the basic unfairness in using statistics in THIS PARTICULAR CASE, that is, in determining pension benefits, is that insurance companies were paying lower benefits to women for the same price only because they (we) live longer. The major problem with this is that it the cost of living in any one particular year is the same for a person regardless of whether they are male or female. Also, unlike most other insurance categories, the category of ALL WOMEN is a particularly huge one, encompassing at least 49% of the population. Size alone makes this patently unfair to the individual; the larger the sample, the less applicable the results are to any one person. Something else to consider is that now that more women are working and having to cope with the stress of higher pressure jobs, as well as supporting their families, be it alone or partially, the average life spans of men and women are drawing closer together. (I believe that overall, average life spans are still increasing.) There are many areas where statistically determined rates are still applicable. I feel that pension benefits is not one of them. Barb Puder, burdvax!bmcjmp