Half of older women fear having to work beyond UK state pension age – study

theguardian.com:

Half of older women fear they will have to keep working beyond the state pension age in order to make ends meet, according to research.

As many as 53% of women aged 45 and over surveyed by the older worker advice website Workingwise.co.uk said they were concerned that their pension would not be enough for them to be financially independent in later life.

The study, carried out to investigate women’s economic situation as they approach retirement, exposes the lasting impact that career breaks – such as time off to bring up young children or to care for relatives – or working part-time can have on women’s pension payouts.

The vast majority (83%)of more than 1,300 older women surveyed had worked part-time for at least one year during their career, and 27%had worked part-time for more than a decade.

Almost three-quarters thought that part-time work, or a career break, were responsible for the reduction in their pension payments. As many as 64% said they had previously stopped their pension payments, either when out of the workplace or working reduced hours.

Jenny, 62, who works in a managerial role for a local authority on the south coast of England, had expected to be retiring at about her current age. However, a stint working part-time when her children were young means she can’t afford to retire yet, or reduce her hours.

“It does worry me. I don’t need loads of stuff [in retirement] but I need to run my house, which will be about £600 a month with bills,” she said. “We live in expensive area.”

Jenny will not reach state pension age for almost five years, and expects her pension to be the main source of income for her household in years to come, as her partner is self-employed.

She would like to work fewer hours so she can spend