Women across Europe continue to face significant disparities in retirement income, with the gender pension gap exceeding the gender pay gap in most countries. On average, women in the European Union earn 12% less than men, meaning they take home €88 for every €100 earned by men, according to Eurostat. The gap grows even larger in retirement, where women receive roughly 22% less pension income than men.
The gap varies widely between countries. In Estonia, the difference is around 6%, while in the United Kingdom it reaches 37%. Other nations with gender pension gaps above 30% include the Netherlands, Austria, Luxembourg, Belgium, Switzerland, and Ireland. Countries with smaller gaps, at 10% or below, include Estonia, Iceland, Slovakia, Czechia, Slovenia, and Denmark.
Experts attribute much of the discrepancy to the so-called “motherhood pension gap.” Professor Alexandra Niessen-Ruenzi of the University of Mannheim explained that women often reduce their working hours or leave the workforce to care for children, lowering both current wages and long-term pension entitlements. “Motherhood and reduced working hours push down lifetime wages and pension contributions, leaving women with less disposable income for private pensions,” she said. Patterns of care work and household responsibilities also influence cross-country differences, with conservative welfare states such as Germany showing higher gaps due to long career interruptions, high rates of part-time work, and joint household taxation. Nordic and some Central and Eastern European countries have narrower gaps because women’s employment histories more closely match men’s, childcare is widely accessible, and pension systems include redistributive measures or credits for care years.
Progress has been slow but measurable. Since 2007, the average gender pension gap across Europe has declined from 28% to 22% in 2024. The largest reductions occurred in Slovenia, Germany, and Greece, where the gap fell by more than 15 percentage points, while Norway, Portugal, Turkey, and Luxembourg saw declines exceeding 10 points. In only three countries — Austria, Estonia, and Belgium — did the gap increase.
Professor Antonio Abatemarco of the University of Salerno noted that the gap reflects long-term inequalities built over women’s working lives. “It is the result of three structural factors: historical labour market participation, care responsibilities, and pension system design,” he said. Many women in Southern and Eastern Europe historically worked in informal sectors without pension contributions. In Western Europe, maternity leave and part-time work reduce contributions and slow wage growth, while pension reforms in some countries have inadvertently widened gaps.
The composition of pension systems also matters. In countries with large private or employer-based pension schemes, women are more disadvantaged because access and contributions are closely tied to wages and career length. Without solidarity mechanisms, these private plans often widen the gender gap.
The report highlights the need for policy measures that account for women’s caregiving roles, support equal access to full-time employment, and promote fair pension structures to reduce long-standing disparities.
