Click here for more information about Old Mutual Corporate’s employee benefit solutions.<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n\u201cWe are seeing the long-term effects of structural disadvantages, including more frequent career breaks, and fewer opportunities to move into senior roles. Together, these factors gradually erode women\u2019s financial momentum,\u201d says Keri-Lee Edmond, Head of Business Intelligence at Old Mutual Corporate and lead author of the report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those structural dynamics sit alongside measurable behavioural differences, the report finds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Financial discipline alone is not enough<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nBoth local and international research suggest that women in general manage money better than men. \u201cWomen tend to prioritise savings, credit health and long-term household needs, including education and healthcare,\u201d she says. \u201cThese patterns reflect a purposeful approach to money, often shaped by caregiving responsibilities and long-term family commitments.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But good money habits are not enough to overcome the structural barriers the research documents. \u201cEven when women outperform men in financial discipline, the system does not convert that discipline into long-term equity,\u201d Edmond says. \u201cUnpaid care work, career breaks and part-time transitions are still treated as exceptions, rather than expected and accounted for in policy and retirement fund design.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Need to Rethink Retirement Fund Design<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nWomen are already showing financial leadership, but behaviour alone cannot close the retirement gap, says Edmond. \u201cWe need systems that reflect how women actually work and live,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That means smarter defaults, contribution top-ups during caregiving, fair pay, and access to long-term investments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Edmond\u2019s broader 2025 research shows that small, practical changes, such as higher default contributions, improved annuity choices and delayed retirement, can result in a significant increase in retirement outcomes over time. \u201cThis is not theoretical. Well-designed defaults, especially when tailored to women\u2019s working lives, are among the most effective tools employers can use to improve long-term retirement outcomes,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Raising the retirement age is particularly effective for women. \u201cWomen live longer than men. That means they need more income for more years,\u201d Edmond explains. \u201cWorking even a few years longer gives women more time to contribute. It allows for more investment growth and reduces the years they need to draw down income. It is one of the most effective tools we have.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While raising the retirement age can make a meaningful difference, Edmond says it should form part of a broader suite of improved design, from higher default contributions and better annuity choices to improved preservation and fair pay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Together, these practical steps can reshape retirement outcomes, particularly for women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe need to do more for South African females,\u201d concludes Edmonds. \u201cIf we remove the structural obstacles and give women the tools they need, they will not just retire better. They will lead South Africa\u2019s next wave of economic progress.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Visit our website at www.oldmutual.co.za\/employeebenefits<\/a><\/strong> for more information about our employee benefit solutions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New research by Old Mutual Corporate of nearly 500,000 umbrella-fund members shows a clear mid-career inflection: from around age 40, women\u2019s savings trajectories begin to slow not because they save or manage credit worse, but because they continue to earn on average 15% less than men.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":840287,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10459],"tags":[22284,16130,23432],"class_list":["post-840286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry-news","tag-employee-benefits","tag-old-mutual-corporate","tag-old-mutual-corporate-capabilities"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/840286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/57"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=840286"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/840286\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":840397,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/840286\/revisions\/840397"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/840287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=840286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=840286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=840286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}