International Women's Day | Exploring the Pensions Gender Gap

Give to gain : Closing the pensions gender gap

The theme for International Women’s Day is give to gain and, as a provider of pension trustee and governance services, this got us thinking about the pensions gender gap. Supporting women in the workplace is key to closing the gap. From employer contributions to salary sacrifice schemes. Offering free advice and supporting those juggling caring responsibilities. We need to give time, money and support to gain a more equitable pensions future.

We asked colleagues from across Law Debenture what are some of the practical steps they have taken to support their pension. Thank you to all who shared their experiences.

Titilola Edu, a consultant in our Global Entity Management business

Titilola shares: “Why would I ever leave free money on the table? I have always believed that contributing to my pension is really just investing in my future, and if my employer contributes too, even better. For me, it simply makes sense to take the free money now and trust the long term payoff. A little inconvenience today for a greater reward tomorrow has always been my mantra.”

Sonia Kennelly from our Process Agent business

Sonia adds: “When I joined the workforce employers matching pension contributions was not common, so if you had the opportunity you jumped on it. It was a great way to encourage us to contribute, even when it felt painful to lose that income. Over time, thanks to compound interest, those early employer contributions have made a significant difference to my pension. I would encourage anybody to take up the opportunity when they can.”

Georgina Gearing-Bell, a Company Secretary in our Corporate Secretarial Services business

Georgina explains: “In my role as Company Secretary, I learned early in my career that pension schemes can differ widely in what they offer employees. Seeing the range of packages employers offered, it was clear to me that employers who match pension contributions don’t just offer a benefit - they empower employees to build security and confidence for the long term.

That’s why I’ve always taken up matching contributions whenever they’ve been available. It has encouraged me to stay consistent with my own contributions too, even during more challenging financial times such as maternity leave.”

Lily Frost, a Director in our Corporate Trust business.

“Pensions might not be the most exciting part of working life, but staying engaged with mine has made a huge difference in how confident I feel about the future. Looking back, a few habits and decisions have shaped my pension journey:

• Keeping my pension pots separate
I currently have two pension pots, one from a previous employer and one from my current role. I chose not to consolidate them to avoid transfer fees and to keep some diversification between schemes. For me, it struck the right balance of cost and risk.

• Contributing at least 20% of my bonus
Whenever I receive a bonus, I put a minimum of 20% directly into my pension. Bonuses often feel like “extra,” so it’s been one of the easiest moments to meaningfully boost long term savings while also reducing tax on that income.

• Adjusting my contributions over time
My regular pension contributions have evolved throughout my career, depending on my personal circumstances, from childcare costs to moving home. Overall, they’ve ranged from 9–23% of my salary annually. Employer contribution matching has always been a strong motivator to contribute more whenever I could.

• Understanding the default investment strategy
I’ve reviewed the default investment and risk profile of my pension fund and feel comfortable that it’s a sensible, balanced approach for my long term goals. Even a quick look made me feel more informed.

• Learning from early investment choices
When I was younger, I put half of my pension into sustainable equities, probably a bit more adventurous than I realised at the time! Luckily, over the longer term it performed similarly to the other half of my pension. It was a good early lesson in understanding risk and staying patient.

None of this has required huge expertise, just small, consistent steps that have helped me feel more in control of my retirement planning.

For me, it’s been about staying curious, making adjustments when life changes, and keeping the long term in mind.

Always learning, and always planning ahead.

Next up, Jessica Dennis who delivers business development for our Corporate Trust, Corporate Services and Process Agent businesses and Charlotte Greenall, an Associate Director in our Corporate Trust business.

Jessica shares: “I recently took a day off work to sort out my previous pensions and combine them into a SIPP. It had been weighing on my mind that I didn’t really know what I had where and I wanted to get some oversight to better understand my situation.

It was not a task I was looking forward to, and it was a touch more painful as I had to update each pot to my married name before I could move it. It was certainly worth it though. Not only do I have some peace of mind that nothing will get lost but, I was pleasantly surprised by how much was in the various pots.”

Charlotte adds: “Ever since I started working, I was encouraged to overcontribute to my pension, even when it felt painful to do so. I am so glad I did. Overcontributing has turned out to be a really good decision which has allowed me to take full advantage of tax relief and grow my long‑term savings much more efficiently than if the money had stayed in regular savings. Increasing my contributions early has also given my investments more time to compound, which should make a meaningful difference to my retirement income.

I’ve also benefitted from consolidating old workplace pensions into a SIPP. Bringing them together has given me better visibility over my pension pot and more control over my investments, whilst also reducing the likelihood of paying multiple or unnecessary fees. It has also opened up a wider range of funds and strategies that weren’t available in my previous schemes. Overall, it’s made things far simpler and more effective.”

Here is Carmen Trinh, Events Assistant based in our London office.

“I didn't think at all about my pension until I started working at LawDeb. I knew I probably had something from various part time jobs I had done, but during university, but it was actually a topic that I actively avoided! I think a lot of people are scared about the idea of getting older, and thinking about your pension forces you to face that.

However, working at LawDeb really opened up my eyes to the importance of understanding your pension from a young age. Working with our pensions team helped me to get to grips with key terminology around pensions (things such as what a DB or DC scheme was), but it was our WIN* financial education event focused on pensions in February 2025 that encouraged me to get my act together. I remember speaker Claer Barrett from the Financial Times saying that she had stopped her pensions contributions during her 20s to use the money towards a property, money that would have compounded into over £200k+ now, meaning that she is now over £200k behind her pensions goals! That really shocked me and put into perspective the power of compounding. I told all of my friends about it afterwards, urging them to ensure that they were contributing to their pension pots as much as possible with each pay rise so that we can benefit from our greatest current assets, compound interest, and more importantly, time.

After attending sessions that our pensions provider held, I downloaded their app so that I can view my pension. It's not something I look at very often, but it feels comforting to know that it's there, that I understand what's happening, and that I can talk to an advisor if I have any questions. Getting past the fear of looking at my pension, understanding what the different terms mean and knowing that time will even out any dips, really does make me feel more in control of my future.”

Thank you to all those at LawDeb who shared their views this International Women's Day!

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