Unison Herts

The DWP warns that women are missing out because they earn too little ot take time off to look after children or relatives.  The report highlights the discrepancies between the pension income women and men receive from both state and private pension schemes.

It reveals that less than a third of women are entitled to a full state pension when they retire.  Women are also less likely to have a private pension then men.  in total 38% of working age women are paying into a private pension, compared to 46% of men.

Even when women do pay into a private pension, men are still better off receiving on average £50 to £100 a week more private pension than women.  The result is more women experiencing pensioer poverty.  Women pensioners are far more likely to depend on pension credits than their male counterparts.  The DWP report said women make up 2.2 million of the 3.3 million people receiving the credit.

UNISON national officer Christine Durance said the report provided a clear picture of women's inadequate pension provision.  "Its a good report" she said "It brings together the evidence so many of us have been making over the years".  "The current pension structure does not provide equality for women and needs radical reviewing and restructuring, why should women shoulder the burden of caring alone".  She explained that the inequalities start in the workplace.  "Many women are short changed all their lives and along as they are treated unequally in the workplace they will inevitably receive unequal pensions".  She said she was looking forward to Adair Turners pension report at the end of November and the subsequent government response.