Press release No. N 015 of 7 March 2023
- Women aged 65 years or over had gross retirement income of roughly 17,800 euros per year, that of men amounted to about 25,400 euros
- One in five women aged 65 or over was at risk of poverty, compared with 17.5% among men of 65 years or over
- 15% of the women of 65 years or over were overburdened by housing costs, 11% of the men in this age range
WIESBADEN – In terms of both their average income and their retirement income, women are worse off than men. According to results of the survey of income and living conditions (EU-SILC) 2021, women aged 65 or over received gross retirement income of 17,814 euros per year in Germany. Men in the same age group had gross retirement income of 25,407 euros. Retirement income comprises old-age and surviving dependant's pensions as well as pensions from private old-age provision. The income reference year is the year preceding the survey. To mark the International Women's Day, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reports that the gender gap in retirement income, referred to as gender pension gap, amounted to 29.9%. As a result, the average retirement income of women was nearly one third lower than that of men. There are various reasons for this gap. On average, women accumulate lower pension entitlements during their working life because more women than men work in lower paid industries. In addition, more women work part-time, they take time off from work more frequently and for longer periods to do care work, and there are fewer women in executive positions.
