The gender gap in pension has been found to be more than double that in pay , according to a report by human resources consultancy Mercer . The study found that women in the European Union ( EU ) save 40 % less on average for their pensions than men , despite earning just 16 % less . Half of European countries have gender pension gaps of at least 30 % . Factors contributing to the disparity are believed to be the lower participation rate of women in the workplace , part - time work , career breaks , lack of education and risk aversion .
The gender gap in pensions has been found to be more than double that in pay, according to a report by human resources consultancy Mercer. The study found that women in the European Union (EU) save 40% less on average for their pensions than men, despite earning just 16% less. Half of EU countries have gender pension gaps of at least 30%. Factors contributing to the disparity are believed to include the lower participation rate of women in the workplace, part-time work, career breaks, lack of confidence and risk aversion.