Pension Penalties: The Gendered Division of Occupational Welfare

Abstract

Research on gender inequality in employment has focused mainly on women's lower rates of pay, neglecting the less visible inequalities in occupational welfare such as fringe benefits. This paper examines gender differences in access to one centrally important occupational benefit an occupational pension. We analyse the 1987 General Household Survey to assess the relative importance of women's domestic roles, in terms of marriage and children, and how this articulates with the effect of labour market position in constraining their opportunity to accumulate occupational pension rights. Women employees' disadvantage in pension scheme membership is greater if they are married, have a child, work part-time, are employed in the private sector, have been in their job a short time and have low earnings. We conclude that women's pension scheme membership is reduced by the gendered division of domestic responsibilities, and the impact this has had on the type of employment women were able to undertake. Current gender inequality in occupational pension scheme membership suggests that, unless more generous state provision for retirement is made, the likelihood of poverty for elderly women will increase in the future.