Foreword by Jill Henderson

Last year marked 20 years of the Scottish Widows Women and Retirement Report, in which we said it would take at least another two decades before the gender pension gap was closed.

In this year’s report we’ve actually seen that gap widen further from 30% to 32%, resulting in women on track to retire with an average retirement income of £13,000, compared to £19,000 for men.

Read the full foreword

In this report

National Retirement Forecast


Here we use our National Retirement Forecast to show the gender gap in the retirement outcomes people are on track for.


  

The NRF compares the retirement income people are on track for based on their current saving behaviour to the costs they could face: living expenses for different retirement living standards defined by Pensions UK, and housing costs for those who expect to rent or continue to pay off a mortgage in retirement.

Women are projected to achieve a median annual retirement income after expected housing costs that is 32% lower than men’s (£13k for women vs £19k for men). As a result, fewer women are expected to achieve a moderate or comfortable retirement (32% vs 45%).

However, many women are already building strong retirement foundations and reducing this gap, so more women achieving comfortable rather than minimum standards in retirement is within reach with earlier investing, targeted guidance and confident planning.

  • There remains a significant gender gap in projected retirement outcomes

    The NRF, first run in our 2023 Retirement Report with Frontier Economics, projects retirement outcomes for those aged 22 to 65 based on savings, behaviours, and income sources, comparing expected income to potential living and housing costs in retirement.

    Bar chart showing the proportion of men and women on track for different retirement lifestyles. 

For men: 36% comfortable, 9% moderate, 24% minimum, 31% less than minimum; median retirement income £19k. 

For women: 24% comfortable, 8% moderate, 32% minimum, 36% less than minimum; median retirement income £13k. 

Below the chart, text states: Median pension gap – men £286k vs women £173k, a difference of £113k at retirement.

    *Median retirement income after paying for expected housing expenses if relevant.

    Source: Frontier Economics modelling based on Scottish Widows’ annual Retirement Report survey, and using Pensions UK’s Retirement Lifestyle Standards.

    Note: This chart uses the 2025 Pensions UK’s Retirement Living Standards, which were updated after the May 2025 Retirement Report. The revised thresholds, reflecting recent falls in energy costs and related factors, mean more people are projected to achieve at least a minimum retirement standard. As Pensions UK’s thresholds are periodically revised, comparisons with earlier reports should be treated with caution.

     

    32% gender gap in projected median net annual retirement income, based on current saving behaviour.

    • Based on current savings behaviour, the average woman is on track to receive £13k per year of income in today’s money during retirement compared to £19k for men.
    • This includes private pension, other long-term savings, inheritance and the state pension or pension credits and is after paying income tax and any expected housing expenses.
       

    Women remain at greater risk of not being able to cover their needs in retirement.

    • Women are significantly more likely to fall short of even a minimum lifestyle, with 36% not on track in comparison to 31% of men.
    • Similarly, only 24% of women are on track for a comfortable lifestyle compared to 36% of men.
    • These differences mean women face both lower expected annual incomes and lower accumulated savings at retirement, amplifying risks of financial insecurity.


     

    Our retirement forecast is benchmarked to Pensions UK’s Retirement Living Standards

    Pensions UK’s standards show the income thresholds for different retirement lifestyles, in terms of the amount that can be spent on food, clothing, transportation, holidays, and maintenance of a home.

    This year the standards switch from “single/couple” to “one person/two person” households, reflecting that retirees may share housing and costs without being partners.

    Pensions UK’s retirement living standards have fallen for minimum retirees due to lower energy prices and a shift in public expectations of what constitutes acceptable standards in retirement. Meanwhile, moderate and comfortable standards have edged up, driven by inflation in other areas, though those increases are partially offset by the same lower energy costs.

    Table comparing annual income needed for retirement living standards in the UK for one person and two people across three categories: Minimum, Moderate, and Comfortable.

Minimum: One person £13,400 (-7%), Two people £21,600 (-4%). Includes £95/week groceries, £30/month takeaways per couple, no car, one UK holiday annually.

Moderate: One person £31,700 (+1%), Two people £43,900 (+2%). Includes £100/week groceries, £20/week takeaways per couple, three-year-old car replaced every 7 years, two-week holiday and a long weekend UK break.

Comfortable: One person £43,900 (+2%), Two people £60,600 (+3%). Includes £130/week groceries, £80/week takeaways per couple, three-year-old car replaced every 5 years, two-week holiday and three long weekend UK breaks.

    Note: The costs shown in this table are for one person and two person households living outside of London. The forecast also considers standards for those who live in London. *% increase to the 2025 Pensions UK standards based on 2024 data, compared to previous Pensions UK standards based on 2023 data. Source: Pensions UK thresholds.

Career breaks and maternity leave

In this section we explore how career breaks affect women’s earnings, savings and retirement outlook, and how differences in planning and support make these breaks a greater financial struggle for women.


  

Career breaks are a major driver of differences in women’s financial resilience compared with men, and arguably the single biggest driver of the gender pension gap. Around half of all women have taken a career break compared with only one in five men, and around one quarter of women over 55 have spent five years or more out of the workforce.

Childcare, in addition to maternity leave, is the standout reason for career breaks, but health and other factors also play a role. Women experiencing menopause or peri-menopause (the transitional phase leading up to menopause) report slightly higher financial strain and are more likely to say they need to work for longer as a result of their career break.
 

  • Half of all women have taken a career break and a quarter over 55 have taken breaks totalling five or more years
     

    Bar chart showing career breaks by age and gender: Women 55+ (59%), 45–54 (58%), 35–44 (51%), 25–34 (40%), 18–24 (19%); Men range 12–29%.

    Women are more likely to take a career break.

    50% of women have taken a break vs 20% of men.

    The gap is largest for those 55+, where nearly 60% of women have taken a break whereas only around 10% of men have done so.

    Bar chart of career break length for ages 55+: Women mostly 5+ years (24%) or none (39%); Men mostly none (86%), other durations under 4%.

    By age 55+, 1 in 4 women have cumulatively taken 5+ years out of work.

    This compares to just 3% of men.

    When reaching retirement, many women have effectively lost multiple working years, with knock-on effects for earnings and pensions.


    Women manage their money well during career breaks but they are less likely to plan financially for them
     

    Women manage their money better during career breaks.

    61% of women said they managed their money well during a career break, vs 58% of men.

    Women are less likely to plan financially for their career break.

    40% of women did not plan financially in preparation for their career break (vs 30% for men).

    Women find career breaks a greater financial struggle than men.

    55% of women found the loss of earnings a financial struggle (vs 47% for men).


    Women are 12x more likely to have taken a career break for childcare and those in menopause report being more likely to need to work longer
     

    Childcare is the stand-out driver of career breaks for women, followed by personal health reasons.

    36% of women take a career break to care for children, in addition to maternity leave, whereas this proportion is 3% for men. A recent ONS study revealed a clear motherhood penalty, mothers lose around £65,600 in earnings by their first child’s fifth birthday, with the biggest drop in income seen during the first year after birth*.

    The next top 3 reasons women take career breaks are:

    • 6% take leave for personal health reasons such as an injury, menopause and recovery (vs 3% for men).
    • 6% take leave for further education (vs 5% of men).
    • 6% take leave for travel (vs 7% for men).


    *Source: The impact of motherhood on monthly employee earnings and employment status, England – Office for National Statistics.


     

    Women aged 45-54 who take career breaks and currently report menopause or peri-menopause may face a slightly greater financial strain and are more likely to work longer than women who are not currently facing menopause. 

    For those women aged 45-54 who take career breaks and currently report menopause or peri-menopause we find:

    • 44% mention they worry about the impact of their career breaks on their retirement income (vs 42% who do not currently report any type of menopause).
    • 57% mention the loss of earnings was a financial struggle at the time of their career break (vs 56% who do not currently report any type of menopause).
    • 37% mention they need to work for longer as a result of the breaks they have taken (vs 34% who do not currently report any type of menopause).


    Shared parental leave is rarely used, with clear gender differences in the rationale
     

    Experiences of shared parental leave (SPL) differ.

    • Shared parental leave (SPL) is a policy that allows parents to share maternity or adoption leave. 
    • Despite the increased prevalence of SPL being offered by employers, women still carry the burden of childcare.
    • Around one in five women say that it was their decision to take all the leave themselves – the most common reasons they did not use SPL. A further one in five say that either their partner did not want to take additional leave or their partner’s workplace was not supportive.
    • Men are more likely to say they weren’t aware that SPL existed or that it worked out better for the partner to take all eligible leave. Around a third cite one of these two reasons.
    Bar chart of shared parental leave use in past 10 years by gender. Most men said ‘No, other’ or unaware; most women wanted all leave or used shared leave.

    One in five women and around one in four men say they used SPL. This difference in reported usage may reflect that some men believe they are using SPL, while they may just be making use of paternity leave – offered on a statutory basis or by their employer.

Financial resilience


In this section, we explore these patterns in financial resilience, looking at how women’s savings expectations compare with actual buffers, and how employment type affects saving behaviours.


  

Women are more likely than men to prioritise saving for emergencies, and more likely to believe they need at least £1,000 put aside for rainy-day savings. However, fewer women report having £10,000 or more saved compared with men, highlighting a resilience gap at higher savings levels.

Differences are also visible between self-employed and permanent workers. Self-employed women are more likely to say they are saving for a rainy day, and more likely to report having £10,000+ in emergency savings.

  • Women prioritise saving for a rainy day and want to build a savings buffer, but have fewer savings than men
     

    More women than men prioritise savings for emergencies.

    44% of women prioritise saving for emergencies or a rainy day, in comparison to 39% of men.
     

    Women are more likely to say they need £1,000+ saved for rainy days.

    71% of women and 59% of men believe they need at least £1,000 for rainy days.
     

    Men are more likely to have larger rainy day funds of £10,000+.

    24% of men have savings above £10,000 compared to only 16% of women.

    Horizontal bar chart showing savings amounts for unexpected emergencies, comparing women and men. 

Categories: £10,000+ (Women 16%, Men 24%), £5,000–£9,999 (Women 6%, Men 7%), £2,500–£4,999 (Women 4%, Men 4%), £1,000–£2,499 (Women 7%, Men 6%), £250–£999 (Women 5%, Men 4%), Less than £250 (Women 14%, Men 12%), and 'I’m not sure' (Women 47%, Men 42%). 

Women are more likely to be unsure, while men are more likely to have £10,000+ in savings. 

Source: YouGov survey, Jan–Feb 2025, 5,167 respondents.


    Self-employed women are more likely to save for a rainy day and are more likely to report higher savings despite having lower income on average
     

    More self-employed women are saving for a rainy day compared with those in permanent roles.

    53% of self-employed women said they're currently working towards savings for emergencies or a rainy day, compared to 48% of permanent employees.
     

    Self-employed women are more likely to have £10,000+ saved for emergencies.

    That’s despite them having a lower average gross income of £21,000 compared to £32,600 for women in permanent roles.

    Horizontal bar chart showing savings amounts for unexpected emergencies among women, comparing self-employed and permanent employees. 

Categories: £10,000+ (Self-employed 21%, Permanent 18%), £5,000–£9,999 (Self-employed 8%, Permanent 7%), £2,500–£4,999 (Self-employed 3%, Permanent 7%), £1,000–£2,499 (Self-employed 4%, Permanent 9%), £250–£999 (Self-employed 4%, Permanent 6%), Less than £250 (Self-employed 14%, Permanent 14%), and 'I’m not sure' (Self-employed 46%, Permanent 40%). 

Self-employed women are more likely to have £10,000+ savings and to be unsure about their savings. 

Source: YouGov survey, Jan–Feb 2025, 1,306 respondents.

Savings and investments

Women are just as likely to invest via a workplace pension. However, they are less likely than men to invest outside of pensions, often preferring to build up a savings buffer before committing to investments.


  

Many women also say they do not see investing as “for them” or that they would not invest regardless of the amount of savings they had, even though large numbers are already investors through workplace pensions.

In this section, we explore these patterns and highlight the importance of broadening women’s confidence and access to a wider set of investment opportunities.

 

  • There are gender gaps in investment outside of pensions and a feeling among many women that investment is not for them
     

    Women are more likely to think investing is not for them – even if they are already investing in a workplace pension.

    • 44% of women who think investing is not for them do have a workplace pension.
    • Shifting perceptions of what an ‘investor’ is may help to encourage more women to take active savings and investment decisions.
    • 50% women do not feel investing is for them, this compares to 38% of men, and is a similar proportion (49%) that said the same in 2024.
    Horizontal bar chart showing investment methods used by women and men.

Categories: Workplace Pension (Women 48%, Men 47%), Stocks and Shares ISA (Women 26%, Men 37%), Self-Invested Pension Plan (Women 9%, Men 13%), General Investment Account (Women 5%, Men 10%), Property investment (Women 5%, Men 8%), Other (Women 4%, Men 8%). 

Workplace pensions are the most common for both genders, while men are more likely to use ISAs, SIPPs, and other investment types. 

Source: YouGov survey, Aug–Sep 2025, 4,091 respondents.

    Men are much more likely to invest alongside their workplace pension.

    • Workplace pension participation is similar between men and women.
    • 37% of men have a stocks and shares ISA compared to 26% of women.


    Women are more likely to ensure they have savings in place before investing, though a minority say they would never want to invest
     

    Horizontal bar chart showing how much money people had or thought they needed in savings before starting to invest, comparing women and men. 

Categories: No savings before investing (Women 10%, Men 14%), Savings covering one to two months of outgoings (Women 20%, Men 13%), Savings covering three to six months (Women 18%, Men 20%), Savings covering six to twelve months (Women 9%, Men 10%), Savings covering more than twelve months (Women 11%, Men 12%), Would not invest regardless of savings (Women 11%, Men 7%), and 'Don’t know' (Women 31%, Men 24%). 

Women are more likely to be unsure, while men slightly lead in having no savings before investing. 

Source: YouGov survey, Aug–Sep 2025, 4,091 respondents.

    Women tend to be more prepared before investing, often ensuring they have some savings in place first.

    • Fewer women start investing with no savings (10% vs 14% of men), showing a more prepared, cautious approach to investing.
    • However, a higher proportion also indicate that they do not know how much they should have saved before investing (31% vs 24%) showing significant confusion about how to balance savings and investments.

    11% of women say they would not invest regardless of their savings; many are in fact already investors.

    • 30% of these women have a workplace pension and may not realise that this makes them investors.
    • As outlined on the next page, this is a recurring theme of women who do not feel like investors but nevertheless are investors.
    • Similar to trends in last year’s report, these women may still not invest regardless of their savings due to finding investing to risky or not being interested in investing.

Financial planning


Women are slightly less likely to use digital planning tools to support their financial decisions but clearer guidance and trusted delivery would encourage greater use.


  

Women are less likely than men to actively manage their investments in retirement, even though they are just as likely to seek professional advice when making financial decisions. This suggests that while women may be less hands-on in managing their portfolios, they are equally willing to engage with financial support.

At the same time, younger women in particular see value in the FCA’s proposed ‘targeted support’, highlighting the potential for new forms of guidance to bridge gaps in financial planning.

In this section we explore these patterns and argue that there is a real opportunity to empower women with timely, accessible support that helps them plan and invest more confidently for later life.

  • Women are as likely as men to plan their finances but less likely to use financial planning tools
     

    Women are as likely as men to plan their finances.

    The same proportion (81%) of women and men say they actively plan their finances, for example setting budgets, tracking bills and planning for retirement.
     

    Women are less likely to use digital planning tools.

    When it comes to using digital planning tools (e.g., apps, bank portals, online calculators), women report lower usage than men.

    For long-term goals such as savings and pensions, 15% of women vs 21% of men use digital tools; for short-term budgeting/day-to-day planning, the figures are 14% vs 19%.

    Bar chart showing factors encouraging use of digital financial tools: clear guidance (Women 35%, Men 30%), via bank (26%, 28%), trusted sources (26%, 23%)

    Both women and men say clear guidance would encourage them to use digital planning tools more, with trusted sources and bank delivery also important.


    Women say they are less likely to actively manage investments in retirement, but they show a similar appetite for financial advice
     

    Stacked bars show agreement with managing investments in retirement: Women strongly agree 9%, agree 31%, neutral 42%; Men strongly agree 16%, agree 35%, neutral 37%.

    Women are less likely than men to say they actively manage investments themselves in retirement.

    Stacked bars show agreement with using a financial adviser in retirement: Women strongly agree 6%, agree 19%, neutral 36%; Men strongly agree 7%, agree 21%, neutral 34%.

    Women draw on financial advisers at similar rates to men, showing equal willingness to seek professional support.

    A majority of women think the FCA’s ‘targeted support’ will be helpful, especially younger women and women from ethnic minority groups
     

    • The FCA is introducing targeted support, tailored help that sits between guidance and advice and can be delivered through digital channels, potentially including AI-enabled tools.
    • These tools will not be for everyone, but it is still encouraging to see a majority of women (50%) and men (52%) think this support will be helpful.
    • Two thirds of women aged 18-34 said that targeted support would be helpful to them, substantially higher than those 45.
    • Younger women are less likely to have substantial assets and complex financial needs – they are therefore less likely to make use of financial advisors.
    • Perceived helpfulness of this policy was also higher among women from ethnic minority groups. For example, 80% of Black women and 71% of Pakistani women think targeted support would be helpful, compared to 47% of White British women.


     

    Two horizontal bar charts showing how helpful women think targeted support from financial firms would be if allowed by the FCA. 

Top chart by age: 55+ (Helpful 34%, Neither 34%, Not Helpful 32%), 45–54 (53%, 32%, 15%), 35–44 (59%, 27%, 14%), 25–34 (67%, 23%, 11%), 18–24 (66%, 24%, 10%). Bottom chart by ethnicity: White British (Helpful 47%, Neither 31%, Not Helpful 22%), White non-British (61%, 25%, 13%), Indian (68%, 23%, 9%), Pakistani (71%, 22%, 8%), Black (80%, 15%, 5%), Other Asian (73%, 16%, 11%). 

Younger women and ethnic minority groups are more likely to find targeted support helpful. 

Source: YouGov survey, Aug–Sep 2025, 2,800 respondents.

    Women could unlock substantial housing equity at retirement
     

    The gap to a moderate or comfortable retirement remains large for many – and especially so for women.

    • The National Retirement Forecast finds that only 24% of women and 36% of men are on track for a comfortable lifestyle in retirement.
    • This year’s report focuses on women’s career breaks, savings and investments, financial resilience and financial planning – all factors that can help shape the retirement outcomes women achieve.
    • However, even with considered actions to save more throughout their working lives, for some women the gap to a comfortable retirement will remain substantial.

    Equity release could supplement women’s retirement funds.

    • Equity release lets anyone over 55 draw on the value of their own home, tax free, without having to move. This could help those retiring, especially women – who on average face larger retirement shortfalls, achieve a comfortable retirement.
    • The ONS* shows that net property wealth (the value of all properties minus mortgage debt) accounts for 40% of the UK’s £13.6tn household wealth. This is more than the 35% accounted for by private pension wealth. Importantly, property wealth grows substantially with age – peaking for those aged 55-64 and creating the opportunity for equity release.


    *Source: ONS (2025): Household total wealth in Great Britain: April 2020 to March 2022.

    On average, women could release £100,000 from their property in retirement.

    • Women are often left with sole ownership of their home following a divorce, or due to their, on average, longer life expectancy.
    • In this year’s survey, we find that 82% of women aged 55+ own their own home – either solely or with a partner – and on average they expect to have around £300,000 of equity in their home by the time they retire**.
    • Assuming that women who own their own home in retirement could release approximately one third of the value of their equity from their homes, they could each secure an additional £100,000 to support their retirement. This equates to approximately £1 trillion in total across all women in the UK at or near retirement.
    • The median total private pension*** for women at retirement is £173,000 (vs £286,000 for men) according to our survey. So, an additional £100,000 released from housing equity would represent a near 60% uplift in private funds for retirement for women.
    • The gender pension gap at retirement is around £113,000. For women who own all or part of their home (including joint ownership with a partner), unlocking ~£100,000 of housing equity would almost close this gap.


    **See equity release methodology section (page 33) for more detail.
    ***Median private pension pot size for those with a private pension. This does not include other savings available at retirement.

Policy recommendations

 

Beyond the pensions system there needs to be adequate provision of childcare to allow women to fulfil their ambitions in the workplace, and not only in those wealthier local authorities which have the necessary resources. There also needs to be continued action in closing the gender pay gap.

Pete Glancy, Head of Policy, Pensions and Investments

Read the recommendations

Download the full report PDF for all details including the survey methodology.
 

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