Recently my colleagues at the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) presented research results on the gender pension gap in Ireland. The research, sponsored by the Pensions Council, which advises government on pension policy, showed a gap of 35 per cent between the pensions of men and women. It also showed that this gap is driven by differences in access to occupational pensions.

Subsequently, other ESRI colleagues presented research on older workers in Ireland. The Health and Safety Authority were the sponsoring agency and one particular finding struck me. Among older workers, women are five times more likely to leave employment for care-related reasons.

One consequence of improved health outcomes and improved longevity is that more people in their 50s and 60s have parents who are still alive

While these two pieces of work were conducted separately and for separate agencies, there is an important link worth highlighting.

For many years, we have understood that women suffered disadvantages in the labour market relative to men and that many of these disadvantages stem from the fact that responsibilities for child-related care fall disproportionately on women. Women are much more likely to interrupt their careers to care for children. This contributes to the gender wage gap with women often suffering a wage penalty due to breaks in work experience. The impacts on pension accruals are also clear, resulting in the gender pension gap.

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