About this episode

This episode discusses the persistent gender pension gap in the UK and offers practical steps for women to improve their retirement savings.

Women in the UK still retire with significantly less pension wealth than men, despite decades of progress. So why does the gender pension gap persist? In this episode, Emilie Bellet is joined by Susan Hope, Business Development Director at Scottish Widows, to unpack the structural reasons behind the gap, from career breaks and caring responsibilities to workplace pensions and auto-enrolment.  They also share practical steps to help you understand your pension, make the most of employer contributions and build greater financial security for the future. Topics we covered: Why women are retiring with less than men The £31 billion problem of lost pensions The three questions everyone should ask about retirement Why retirement planning starts earlier than you think How career breaks and caring responsibilities affect pensions Simple steps to find and reconnect with old pensions Building financial confidence for later life The information shared is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice. Connect with Vestpod Join our free Vestpod Money Reset: https://www.vestpod.com/money-reset Sign up to The Edit newsletter: https://www.vestpod.com/subscribe   Courses and…

People in this episode

Host: Emilie Bellet

Guest: Susan Hope

Topics covered

• gender pension gap
• financial security
• retirement planning
• career breaks
• pension contributions
• financial confidence

Keywords

• pension wealth
• retirement
• financial advice
• employer contributions
• lost pensions
• career breaks
• caring responsibilities

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Scottish Widows, Vestpod

Books & works: You’re Not Broke, You’re Pre-Rich

More episodes of The Wallet

• How Behavioural Science Boosts Your Finances · June 17, 2026 · 33 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Wallet podcast page.