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UK Pension System Delivers Lower Incomes for Women, TUC Reports

According to research by Prospect, the UK pension gap sits at 40.5%. This means that on average retired women have annual incomes £7,100 lower than men, and have done for the past five years. State pensions are not projected to reach equal status for men and women until 2041.


TUC analysis shows that although these gaps are present across all industries, they are highest in manufacturing, wholesale and retail, and other service activities, where women have less than a fifth of pension wealth of men on average.


Their analysis highlights three key drivers:

  1. The Gender Pay Gap. Women's average hourly pay in the UK is currently 14.9% lower than men's, rising to 20% for workers in their 50s.

  2. Different lifetime working patterns. Women are seven times more likely than men to be out of work due to caring commitments.

  3. Differing levels of state pension entitlement. Women born in the 1940s receive 25% less on average than men.


Read a full breakdown of TUC's research and analysis, plus their policy recommendations, here.

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