The gender pensions gap has widened to £11,180, with analysis by PensionBee suggesting it will take more than 30 years to close at the current rate of progress.

Analysis in PensionBee’s annual Pension Landscape 2026 has found the widening of the average gender pensions gap, from £9,972 to £11,180, comes despite women’s average pension savings growing at a faster rate than men’s over the past year, increasing by 17 per cent to £20,146, compared with 15 per cent growth among men to £31,326.

The percentage gap narrowed from 37 per cent to 36 per cent, meaning women held 64p in pension savings for every £1 held by men, up from 63p the previous year.

PensionBee attributed the disparity to structural factors that compounded over time, including lower average lifetime earnings, higher rates of part-time working and career breaks for caring responsibilities.

Previous research by PensionBee found that taking on unpaid care across five typical life stages could reduce long-term pension wealth by around £30,000, with women predominantly carrying this burden.

The analysis also found that self-employed workers faced a 21 per cent retirement savings penalty compared to employed workers, with an average pot of £26,244 compared to £33,364.

Commenting on the findings, PensionBee VP personal finance, Maike Currie, said: “The pension system is failing women and the self-employed, and change is far too slow.

“At the current rate, it will take more than 30 years to close the gender pension gap, leaving another generation of women facing retirement with thousands of pounds less than men. Meanwhile, self-employed savers risk falling even further behind."

Currie said that employers should support a more equal sharing of caring responsibilities through gender-inclusive parental leave, while the government needed to address the high cost of childcare and parents should consider how to protect both partners’ pension savings when one takes a career break to provide care.

Automatic enrolment minimum contributions are still too low, she added, and too many people still fall outside the safety net.

Currie suggested giving self-employed people the option to pay into a pension automatically through their tax return via self assessment, with the freedom to opt out.

She concluded: "Everyone deserves a financially secure retirement, including women and the self-employed. Employers, policymakers and the pensions industry must work together to close these gaps, before another generation pays the price.”

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