Retired women in the Netherlands get 40% less pension than men

Retired women receive an average of 40 percent less pension than men, reports Wijzer in geldzaken, an initiative of the Ministry of Finance, based on research. This difference is mainly due to the fact that women work less, on average, than men, which results in less pension accrual. “Women are also generally less concerned with their financial future than men and have less knowledge of pensions,” said Lisa Brüggen of pension think tank Netspar in an explanation.

According to the researchers, almost half of the Dutch (48 percent) are not aware that the pension income of women is lower than for men. Five out of ten women (52 percent) consider the pension gap to be (very) worrying, compared to three out of ten men (30 percent). Three-quarters of women (74 percent) find it (very) important that this gap is closed, while this applies to only half of the men (57 percent).

The research also shows that women spend less time delving into their pensions than men. When asked who knows more about their own pension situation, men significantly more often answered “I more than my partner.” Respondents also believe that employers and pension providers should communicate more clearly about the consequences for pensions if they work less.