1. Career ahead
How can I maintain and boost my earning power?
Salary inequality. Motherhood penalty. Your income can take a hit in your 30s and 40s, but there are ways to limit the long-term impact on your finances.
Unequal pay has been unlawful since 1970, but many women still earn less than men. In April 2025, the gender pay gap for median hourly pay (excluding overtime) between men and women was 7% for full-time employees.
What is the impact of career breaks?
Women often earn less due to career breaks. Mothers lose an average of £65,618 in pay by the time their first child turns five and are 15% less likely to be in paid employment 18 months after having a child.
2. Mind the gap: why should I pay into a private pension now?
It can be difficult to think about saving for your retirement in your 30s and 40s, but today’s pension contributions can make a big difference to your quality of life in the future.
Relying just on your State Pension could result in hardship after you hit retirement age – especially if there are gaps in your National Insurance (NI) contributions due to career breaks or part-time working.
How much do I need to save for my retirement?
Experts estimate that a single person needs £13,400 a year to maintain a minimum living standard during retirement. A full State Pension currently works out at just under £12,000.
To enjoy a comfortable retirement, which includes expenses such as private health procedures or home alterations, you will need a lot more: £43,900 for a single person or £60,600 for a couple.
Will a private pension plug the gap?
Although private pensions can help plug the gap, women’s pension pots are smaller than men’s. The difference in retirement funds starts early and widens as women hit their mid-30s.
Unlike the gender pay gap, pension inequality is growing in some age brackets. In 2022, the gap in contributions between men and women aged 35-39 was 18%. By 2025, it had risen to 22%.
With women often living longer than men, it’s important to build up your own retirement resources – even if it seems a long way off.
Practical steps to consider
- Create a cashflow model with your Finli planner to understand how much money you need to meet your retirement goals
- Check NI contribution gaps and the impact on future State Pension payments
- Evaluate performance of existing pension funds and consolidate into a single pot to improve visibility.
3. Go it alone: how can I become more financially independent?
Life doesn’t always go as planned. To give you more security and flexibility, it’s a good idea to evaluate your personal wealth and make sure you have sufficient funds to go it alone if needed.
What happens if I get divorced?
Coping with relationship breakdowns and partner bereavements can be much harder if you don’t have a financial cushion to fall back on.
Around half of divorces involve women who were financially reliant on their husbands during their marriage. This might explain why some women see their income cut in half in the year following a divorce with 24% struggling financially compared to just 16% of men.
How can I build up my own money?
There’s still time in your 30s and 40s to build up your own resources before the gender wealth gap becomes too great.
A finance health check with your Finli planner would include reviewing your current pension contributions, taking advantage of tax-efficient investments, such as ISAs and reviewing your protection policies.
Join the women seizing the financial initiative
Many women are already taking steps to secure their financial future: 74% say they are seeking advice exclusively for themselves compared to 65% of men.
Greater knowledge empowers women to better manage their personal finances to achieve their personal goals. Talk to your Finli planner today about what steps could help you stay on track – and in control.
The value of investments can go down as well as up and you may not get back the full amount you invested. The past is not a guide to future performance and past performance may not necessarily be repeated.
