Divorce is leaving many women facing a far more uncertain retirement than men, with long-lasting financial consequences that often go unnoticed at the point of separation.
New figures highlight how the gap in pension savings widens sharply after marriages break down.
Divorced women in the UK are left significantly worse off in retirement than men, with new research showing a large gap in pension savings.
Figures published today by now:pensions and the Pension Policy Institute show that divorced women are £53,160 worse off in pension wealth than their male counterparts.
The findings were released on what lawyers refer to as 'Divorce Day' — the first working Monday after the Christmas and New Year break — a time when family law firms typically see a surge in enquiries as couples take steps to separate.
The data, published ahead of the 2026 Gender Pensions Gap report, also shows that women who have divorced hold just 39 per cent of the retirement wealth owned by divorced men, highlighting how separation can deepen long-term financial inequality.
The stark disparity in retirement funds shows divorced men holding median pension wealth of £85,800, while divorced women have just £32,640.
Despite pensions ranking as the second most valuable asset in marriage after property, the vast majority of couples overlook them when separating.
Just 11 per cent of the more than 100,000 divorces finalised in 2024 and 2025 included pension attachment orders — the legal mechanism for dividing retirement savings.
Remarkably, 71 per cent of divorce settlements fail to address pension assets at all, with couples instead focusing on housing and property division.
The 'gender pension gap' is hurting women in the UK | GETTY The research indicates this oversight carries significant long-term consequences for women's financial security in retirement.
Working patterns play a substantial role in widening this pension divide. Three in ten divorced women are employed part-time, triple the proportion of divorced men at just 10 per cent.
This employment disparity translates directly into earnings, with divorced women taking home 37 per cent less than men — averaging £31,279 annually compared to £45,540.
Lower incomes create a further barrier to building retirement savings. Divorced women face twice the likelihood of being excluded from workplace automatic enrolment schemes, with six per cent falling outside the system versus three per cent of men.
housands of divorced women face £53,000 shortfall in retirement
| GETTYCurrent rules require workers to be at least 22 years old and earn £10,000 in a single job to qualify for automatic pension contributions.
Samantha Gould, Mercer's UK Head of Campaigns, said: "Since 2019, now:pensions has been a steadfast advocate for underpensioned groups.
"Our latest research highlights a stark disparity: divorced women's private pension incomes amount to less than 39 per cent of the average pension wealth held by divorced men. We are committed to promoting greater pension equality for all, regardless of gender.
Working patterns play a substantial role in widening this pension divide
| GETTY"To address this imbalance, we support the implementation of automatic consideration of pension assets in divorce, a measure that could narrow the pension savings gap and help divorced women to enjoy the retirement they deserve."
Joanne Segars OBE, Chair of the now:pensions Master Trust Trustee Board, said: "Automatic enrolment pension saving dictates that individuals must be aged 22 and over and earn £10,000 in a single role.
"As a consequence, far too many groups in our society experience an uncomfortable reality and they are 'locked out' of the pension auto-enrolment system, unable to earn enough to put money aside for later."
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