Two in five working aged women have taken action when it comes to their pension saving after having heard about the gender pension gap, with 8% seeking financial advice, according to new research.

Most commonly, the women surveyed by pensions consultancy Barnett Waddingham said they have increased their monthly contributions into their pension with 14% having done this already. A fifth (20%) said they are planning to increase their contributions in the future.

A tenth (9%) of women said they have spoken to their partner about pension savings and the pensions gap, while 8% have sought financial advice to increase retirement savings.

Women with a private pension/ SIPP were the most likely to have sought financial advice, with 13% having used a financial adviser.

According to the survey, 14% of women plan on seeking financial advice with regards to their pension.

Amanda Latham, policy and strategy lead at Barnett Waddingham, said: “A proportion of women have acted already to either build their savings or seek support from professionals or loved ones, and even more are planning on taking significant steps to close the gap themselves.

“While this is encouraging, it’s critical that the onus for change does not fall on individuals alone – the pension system is intrinsically biased towards men, creating a stark disparity in wealth at retirement that needs to be addressed at its core.”

Barnett Waddingham in March released a report that said the pension system is failing to support mothers and career breaks taken by women are a driving factor behind the gender pension gap.

Barnett Waddingham’s analysis of pension schemes found that on average women have 25% to 45% less in their pension pots at retirement than men. 

According to the report, the gender pension gap begins to appear most clearly after age 32, with men contributing up to £1,500 a year more into their pension than women despite contributing the same percentage of their salary.