The Gender Pension Gap in the Aging Societies of East Asia
Over the years pension systems have been an essential policy tool for the economic protection of older adults across countries and regions. But in a context of widespread inequality, not everyone enjoys the same level of protection. Because women’s...
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| Format: | Brief |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2017
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/508031491383329129/The-gender-pension-gap-in-the-aging-societies-of-East-Asia-a-policy-note-from-the-East-Asia-and-Pacific-umbrella-facility-for-gender-equlity http://hdl.handle.net/10986/26422 |
| Summary: | Over the years pension systems have been
an essential policy tool for the economic protection of
older adults across countries and regions. But in a context
of widespread inequality, not everyone enjoys the same level
of protection. Because women’s life courses are different
from men’s, pension systems often have different outcomes
for women and men. With populations aging in East Asia, the
gender pension gap is affecting more and more women. This
note summarizes the results of a study that examined pension
policies and their gender dimensions in several countries of
East Asia. The study examined the labor force behavior of
women aged 45 years and over in China, Vietnam, Thailand,
Indonesia, Mongolia, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, and the
Philippines, investigating the key policy and behavioral
drivers of their observed labor force participation and
withdrawal. Empirical and policy analysis is supplemented
with qualitative insights from focus groups and individual
interviews with women in the focus countries who are nearing
retirement age or have already withdrawn from the workforce.
The findings fill important and policy-relevant knowledge
gaps on pensions and retirement and on gender differentials
in endowments, economic opportunities, and well-being at
older ages. |
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