Fri, 11 February 2022 | retirement women workplace
For those looking to invest their retirement funds, a Nationwide Retirement Institute® survey of employer-sponsored retirement plan participants and sponsors found that women are more likely to have been financially impacted by the pandemic than men.
About one in five (18%) women feel they are on the wrong track for retirement, and the same percentage expects to retire later than the originally planned due to the pandemic.
Fewer women than men have been able to hit financial milestones such as contributing to a 401(k)/IRA (50% of women vs 58% of men), building an emergency fund (47% of women vs 59% of men) or increasing their retirement plan contributions (39% of women vs 51% of men).
Retirement plan sponsors have taken notice of these challenges, too, with 70% saying they believe female participants are more likely to have been financially impacted by the pandemic than men. A major factor could be family responsibilities — one in three women report they had thought about leaving their jobs or downshifting their careers in 2021, compared to one in four in 2020.
As a result of these factors, many women are experiencing negative emotions when thinking about their current retirement plan status, including being worried (34%), frustrated (15%) or panicked (10%). These percentages are even higher for women who have delayed or cancelled their retirement plans, with 45% feeling worried, 54% frustrated and 16% panicked. In fact, 51% of women who have delayed or cancelled their retirement plans say the decision has negatively affected their mental health.
"Working through the pandemic hasn't been easy for anyone. This is particularly true for women, who are balancing child or elder care challenges and career burnout" said Amelia Dunlap, vice president, Retirement Solutions Marketing at Nationwide. "This only adds to the stress that women are facing, feeling off course from their overall financial and retirement goals."
The good news is women are turning their energy into action. Since the pandemic began, 66% of plan sponsors have noticed that women are more likely to make changes to their retirement plans than men. Of the women who are expecting to delay or cancel their retirement plans, 67% say they've shifted their overall approach to saving for retirement in response.
The survey found women are also interested in exploring solutions that can help them reach their goals. About half (48%) of female participants showed interest in in-plan guaranteed lifetime income.