Women are missing out on more than £5 billion a year in pension payments after going through a divorce.
Scottish Widows’ Women and Retirement report, which consulted 10,314 adults, found 48% of women have no clue what happens to their pension when a marriage ends in divorce.
40% of divorced women said their retirement prospects declined as a result of the split, while 10% were relying solely on the state pension to provide post-retirement income.
Almost a quarter (24%) of women said they are unable to make any contribution towards their retirement savings following the break-up of their marriage.
Catherine Stewart, retirement expert at Scottish Widows, said:
“Generally speaking, women’s retirement prospects are worse than men’s.
“The persistent gender pay gap, maternity leave and career breaks can all hold back women’s earning potential and this often impacts pension savings.
“Relationship breakdowns can leave people really vulnerable but, quite simply, they’re also throwing significant sums of money down the drain.”
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