Irish women warned to plan for retirement

Irish women are being advised to make their own financial plans and be less dependent on their husband's pensions.

Financial experts Mercer told delegates attending a ‘Financial Planning for Women’ seminar in Dublin that only 47% of working women have a private pension compared to 56% of men.

In addition, working men have "better quality" pensions coverage.

It was found that 21% of working women polled said they "don’t know" how they are going to fund their retirement.

"Women need to be more single-minded about their financial future," said Aisling Kennedy, retirement consultant, Mercer.

"Family life typically dictates that it is the female partner that leaves the workforce for a period, quite often at the peak of her earning capacity. On average, women spend 10 – 12 years less than men in the workforce over their lifetime but as women live longer and have more need of health care and long term care, their financial needs are greater.

"Women are likely to outlive their partners and unless they have adequately prepared financially for this they may find they cannot fund the quality of life that they expect after retirement."