Work

Beliefs about the gender pension gap

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: I conduct an online survey of 3000 respondents in the United States to examine individuals’ beliefs about the gender pension gap. By including an information provision experiment in which treated respondents are informed about the size of the gender pension gap, I examine whether receiving this information causally affects respondents’ perceptions of the fairness and drivers of the gender pension gap and their support for policies aimed at reducing it. I find that most respondents underestimate the gender pension gap and that treated respondents are less likely to perceive the gender pension gap as fair. In addition, treated respondents perceive the unequal distribution of care work and gender differences in wages as more important drivers of the gap, and their demand for remedial policies such as targeted financial education increases significantly. This increase in policy demand is driven by male respondents and Republicans.

Source: European Economic Review

DOI: 10.1016/j.euroecorev.2025.105244

Author: Jana Schuetz

Institution: Jönköping University

Language: English

Topic: Financial Literacy, Pension, Retirement Analysis

Subfield: Accounting

Field: Business, Management and Accounting

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Gender equality

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,690