Research from Friends Provident has found that only 35% of women have a pension scheme, compared with 54% of men. Almost half of women polled say that the reason for not saving enough for their retirement is that they cannot afford to, compared with 29% of men who say the same. Recently released government statistics show that the pay gap between men and women is 13%, and the gap widens when women retire, because, on average, they have a smaller pension pot saved for their retirement, and will have saved for less time because of taking career breaks. Their money is also likely to be spread more thinly as women are expected to live longer than men.
Our view
Many women take career breaks for children and many rely on partners. These figures are not a surprise. Take a look at our section on Pensions for Women .