Half of older women plan to continue working after state pension age

Nearly half of women between the ages of 50 and 65 plan to continue working after reaching state pension age, research shows.

A survey of official statistics found that nearly one in two in the age group planned to stay in work after the age of 66 – either on existing hours or on reduced hours.

But one in five say they don’t know what they’re going to do when they reach state pension age, according to the survey by Rest Less, which advises older workers.

Significantly fewer women than men plan to rely on a private pension after retirement, the report said.

Stuart Lewis, chief executive of Rest Less, said: ‘Years of gender income disparity have resulted in a large gender pension savings gap, leaving many women in their 50s and 60s in real financial precariousness.

Nearly half of women aged 50-65 said they plan to continue working in some position after reaching state pension age – a number likely to have risen further given the subsequent crisis in the cost of living.

‘It can also be more difficult for women to return to work after a period of unemployment or inactivity.’

He added: “They are much more likely to take time off to care for children, parents or a relative than their male counterparts, which naturally puts them at a disadvantage.

‘In the last recession of 2009, women were able to retire at the age of 60 and receive state pension.’

Lewis said many women are “stuck between a rock and a hard place,” struggling to find work “because of ageism or a lack of flexible work options,” but are still too young to claim their state pensions.

He added: “While state pension ages may now be the same for men and women, these data show that men’s and women’s pensions will remain anything but equal.”