EU. Women at risk of poverty in retirement
Irish women typically retire on incomes that are more than 30 per cent lower than their male counterparts, a new report from Mercer reveals, as it calls on governments, policy-makers and employers to respond to the “urgent challenge” the pensions gap poses.
According to the report, half of European Union states, including Ireland, have pension gaps of 30 per cent or more, while the EU average is 40 per cent.
The gap means that a retired woman living in the EU will receive, on average, 40 per cent less retirement income than her male counterpart.
The gap varies widely from one member state to another, ranging from 4 per cent to 49 per cent, and is narrowest in countries like Denmark and Latvia (0-10 per cent), and highest in countries like Germany and the Netherlands (40-50 per cent). In contrast, the average gender pay gap, or the difference between what a woman and a man will earn while in paid employment, is considerably lower, at 16 per cent across the EU, or 15 per cent in Ireland.
Full Content: The Irish Times
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