Women’s access to pensions has been historically restrictive and reflected the male breadwinner model of employment, taxation and social welfare.
Though over 50% of women are now active in the labour force, women are still far less likely to have pensions than men and their pensions are likely to be of lower value.
Research in this area concludes that one of the main sources of women’s economic vulnerability at pension age is their interrupted work history due to care responsibilities,. Older women workers experience limited access to pensions because of low pay, poor conditions of work. The Marriage Bar which was in place in Ireland until 1972 has had a major impact on pension entitlements for women.
Publishing the report Pensions: What Women Want in 2008, the NWCI continues to lobby intensively for greater recognition of women’s care work and particular employment patterns in designing pensions.
