Do Women Teachers Get a Fair Deal? An Assessment of Teachers' Pensions

Abstract

There has been considerable debate about the future of pension provision over recent years and, in particular, the precarious position of many female pensioners. However, scant attention has been given to women contributing to occupational pensions despite gender differences in levels of accumulation. This article uses evidence from interviews with twenty retired female teachers to outline the difficulties women in the teaching profession have faced in building up occupational pension entitlements. Finally it highlights that pensions research needs to consider females with access to occupational pension provision to understand the situation of pensioners with a minimal pension income in retirement.