Standard Life urges govt to change pension rules before gender ban

The ECJ ruled in March 2011 that insurers' use of gender to underwrite contracts was in breach of the EU Equal Treatment Directive, which bans the withholding of goods and services on the grounds of gender. The ruling comes into effect on 21 December 2012, but only outlaws gender underwriting in individual or group pensions, not in occupational pensions, Standard Life said. Occupational pensions must comply with the Equal Treatment in Employment and Occupation Directive. When employees reach retirement age their annuity is not subject to the gender-pricing ban as the underwritten c...