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How women in Victoria are retiring with less super than men

Victorian women are wrapping up their working lives with substantially less superannuation than men, a disturbing snapshot reveals. See how much worse off they are in retirement.

How much Super is enough?

Victorian women have $113,000 less superannuation at the end of their working lives and almost two-thirds feel unsafe walking at night, according to a landmark state government study.

The Gender Equality Baseline Review, to be released today, has revealed a disturbing snapshot of the challenges women face in Victoria.

The average woman will have $157,049 in superannuation when she retires, 42 per cent less than the male average of $270,710.

The average woman will have 42 per cent less superannuation than the male average when she retires.
The average woman will have 42 per cent less superannuation than the male average when she retires.

Meanwhile, only 32.5 per cent said they felt safe walking after dark, compared with 62.5 per cent of men.

Other findings include:

MORE than 20 per cent of women had been sexually harassed in the past year;

WOMEN were almost twice as likely to experience homelessness; and

ONLY 28.5 per cent of Victorian men were likely to take action when witnessing sexism, compared with 62.9 per cent of women.

The report also highlighted men faced some disadvantages, including unequal access to reproductive rights.

Furthermore, most parental leave and flexible work options were taken up by women, despite men being keen to use them.

Minister for Women Gabrielle Williams. Picture: Rebecca Michael
Minister for Women Gabrielle Williams. Picture: Rebecca Michael

Minister for Women Gabrielle Williams said the report showed women faced big challenges and laid the groundwork for more gender neutral policies.

“This report clearly tells us we’ve got a significant way to go when it comes to achieving gender equality,” Ms Williams said.

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“We’re not going to be deterred from our efforts to make Victoria a fair and equal place for women and girls, because it’s 2019 and we deserve every opportunity to succeed.”

The study was collated using data from organisations including VicHealth, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Victorian Department of Education and Training and the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission.

It will be used to help formulate new policy around gender. A progress report will be released in 2022.

alex.white@news.com.au

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Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/how-women-in-victoria-are-retiring-with-less-than-men/news-story/45db5df17610293a8eae57e066dc2253