Women in their mid-50s have half the pension savings compared to men - here's five tips to help you not fall behind

Women in their mid-50s have fallen well behind their male counterparts when it comes to pension savings, an in-depth report shows.Those aged 55-59 now have just 54 per cent the private pension wealth compared to men of the same age, the Pension Policy Institute (PPI) has found.PPI says the type of work women do, career breaks and the gender pay gap are key components. It says labour inequalities account for 39 per cent of the gender pension gap. This is because women are more likely to work part-time or take a career break for caring responsibilities.Meanwhile 19 per cent is attributed to the gender pay gap. Although the gender pay gap has improved, full-time male employees earn 6.9 per cent more and that rises to 12.8 per cent for all employed in 2025, according to the Office for National Statistics. In addition, women are more likely to work in the public sector than men, including in the NHS, social services and teaching.Pensions are typically more generous in this sector, which has a 12 per cent positive impact on women's pension wealth relative to men. Widening gap: PPIs report also showed 57% of pensioners living in poverty are womenThe report named showed 57 per cent of pensioners living in poverty are women.John Adams, senior policy analyst at the PPI and author of the report, said: 'The gender pension gap has become a severe inequality within the pensions landscape, with women remaining at significant risk of falling into pensioner poverty.'The PPI is proud to deliver new, independent evidence to support policymakers in making informed decisions about the pensions system, including the gender pension gap.'Gender pension gap starts at 28A recent AJ Bell report showed the gender pension gap begins to emerge at 28.It claims this coincides with when women take time off work or reduce hours for childcare purposes.Moreover, it finds women are less likely than men to prioritise retirement savings until later in life than men.Sarah Coles, of AJ Bell, said: 'Women working full-time are paid, on average, 6.9 per cent less than men, but the gap widens as we get older. 'At the ages of 16 and 17, women earn slightly more than men.'By the time they reach the 22 to 29 age bracket, men have started to edge ahead, with a pay gap of 0.9 per cent. 'But this accelerates through the rest of their working lives, to hit 12.5 per cent in their 50s.'That's a sizeable difference in take home pay, but it also means that women are paying less into their pension each month, which has a snowball effect on their pot over time.'She added: 'Government data shows that in retirement the income gap is widest of all, with those aged 60 and over facing a gap of 12.6 per cent.'The gender pension gap can't be considered in isolation, because so many people will retire as part of a couple, and in many cases it's a partner of the opposite sex.'However, being so reliant on a partner runs the risk of divorce, separation or bereavement pushing some women into difficulties later in life. 'It also means single people can struggle, especially if they are divorced or never married.' What should I do? AJ Bell gives five steps to prevent flexible work and lower pay derailing your pension1. Ask to be automatically enrolled into your workplace pensionIf you're making less than £10,000 a year with any one employer, you won't be automatically enrolled into the pension scheme. As well as those on lower salaries, it affects those working part-time.However, if you earn between £6,240 and £10,000 with one employer you have the right to opt in and be treated like any other member of the scheme, so when you pay in you get employer contributions too. Those who make less than £6,240 can ask to join a pension scheme through work, but won't necessarily get employer contributions, so it's important to check what's on offer.2. Try not to stop during maternity leaveIf you go on maternity leave, it can be tempting to pause pension contributions, because money tends to be tight. However, if you can keep up payments, you only have to pay a percentage of the actual maternity pay you're getting, while your employer needs to keep making the same contributions as before.3. Consider contributions as a coupleIf one of you stops work for a period or moves into a part-time role, you will already be having conversations around how you will pay vital bills. It's worth adding your pension to the conversation and considering whether there's a way to maintain payments. If you're not earning, your partner can pay in up to £2,880 a year and it will be topped up by the government to £3,600.4. Pledge to increase contributionsIf you can't afford higher contributions today, pledge to pay more in when you get a pay rise or work longer hours. One way to make sure this happens automatically is to work on the basis of paying in a certain percentage of salary – so it automatically rises when your income does. However, it's also worth revisiting your payments with each pay rise, to see whether there's room in your budget to increase it. Our research into the gender pension gap shows that men are more likely to pay in a higher percentage of their salary: 36 per cent of men are contributing 6 per cent to 11 per cent of their salary, compared to just 29 per cent of women.5. Use one-off payments to boost your pensionMen are also more likely to use a one-off payment (like a bonus) to power their pension than women. AJ Bell's research showed 44 per cent would use one-off payments in this way, compared to 36 per cent of women. It's easy to mentally spend your bonus several times over, but if you're due to get one, it's worth considering pension payments among your options. 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