More women than men will rely on the State pension when they retire, new research suggests.
The survey by the Retirement Planning Council of Ireland reveals that 68% of female respondents said they will be heavily reliant on the State pension, as opposed to 32% of males.
68% of respondents think there is a pension disparity between men and women, while 58% believe it is not recognised in society.
"About two-thirds of those attending our pre-retirement courses express concern about managing their finances in retirement," said Laura Farrell, CEO of the Retirement Planning Council of Ireland.
"At present, there is a cohort of women approaching pension age who grew up in an era when their mothers did not expect a pension, therefore pensions may not have been a high priority in their retirement planning," she added.
75% of the survey respondents agree that women have historically faced financial discrimination in pensions.
Ms Farrell pointed out that a woman's pension was negatively impacted by the marriage bar - where women working in certain jobs had to leave that job when they married. It was lifted in 1973.
"Many women were forced out of the workforce on marriage or voluntarily took career breaks to care for children or other family members," she explained.
"Career breaks meant breaks in contributions - to both PRSI and occupational pension schemes."
On a positive note, today's research shows that 63% of respondents believe the introduction of auto-enrolment in Ireland will reduce the gender pension gap.
The State's new scheme will be delivered in 2024 with the first enrolments expected by the end of this year, the Minister for Social Protection has pledged.
