# Menopause and caring responsibilities ‘contributing to pensions gender gap’

By Helen Morrissey — 2025-11-18

Helen Morrissey, head of retirement analysis at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “Women are paying a huge price for shouldering the majority of caring responsibilities when it comes to their pensions.

“A mix of lower wages, part-time work and working gaps all conspire to make the gender pension gap a yawning chasm and there’s very little women can do about it without workplace reform to help them stay in the workforce.

“This can include the provision of good quality affordable childcare and more flexible working that will enable them to balance caring and work responsibilities more easily.

“It also shows the enormous impact that menopause can have on women’s retirement prospects.

“At a time when they might be in a position to start rebuilding their long-term resilience after time out of the workforce and lower wages menopause has the potential to cause further damage.

“Again, a more flexible approach to working patterns could be a gamechanger in helping women navigate this challenging time and build their financial resilience.”

Canonical: https://experts.pressassociation.com/expert/40/views/c2f2d7c5d83eca34