Divorced women in the UK face a stark 61% pension gap compared with divorced men, new research from now:pensions and the Pensions Policy Institute has revealed.
The findings showed that divorced women typically have £53,160 less in pension savings than their male counterparts.
It found that divorced women hold just 39% of the pension wealth of divorced men, with median pension wealth for women standing at £32,640 compared to £85,800 for men.
Among married couples, women’s pension wealth gap is equally significant, with men holding £111,540 versus £43,656 for women.
While pensions remain the second largest asset in a marriage after property, only 11% of the more than 100,000 divorces in 2024 and 2025 involved pension attachment orders, Furthermore, 71% of divorce settlements do not consider pension assets, often prioritising housing and property instead.
However, with men expected to live to age 79 and women to age 83, and assuming retirement at 66, pension wealth must last around 13 years for men and 17 years for women. However, divorced women’s annual pension income of £13,893 falls just over the UK’s minimum retirement living standard of £13,400. This compares to a divorced man’s pension income of over £18,573 a year.
The research also highlighted employment disparities contributing to pension gaps. Nearly a third (30%) of divorced women work part time, three times the rate of divorced men, and earn 37% less on average.
Samantha Gould, UK head of campaigns at Mercer, said the research highlights the stark disparity between divorced men and women.
“To address this imbalance, we support the implementation of automatic consideration of pension assets in divorce, a measure that could narrow the pension savings gap and help divorced women to enjoy the retirement they deserve,” she said.
Joanne Segars, chair of the trustee board at now:pensions, added: “Far too many groups in our society experience an uncomfortable reality and they are ‘locked out’ of the pension auto-enrolment system, unable to earn enough to put money aside for later.
“As a result, these groups find themselves on the wrong side of a growing pension savings gap.”
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