Pay Gap Only the Start of Financial Inequality for Women

pay gap, women struggle, retirement planning

Beyond gender salary disparity, a new study says women are significantly more stressed about personal finance than men

Women are significantly more stressed about their personal finances than men, and struggle more than men in almost every area of their financial wellness—including saving for retirement—according to a new survey released May 6.

More than half (56%) of working American women say they are stressed about their personal finances, compared to only 41% of men, according to the new survey of 10,486 U.S. employees conducted by financial wellness solutions provider Salary Finance.

Based on the survey’s data, women are paid, on average, one-third less annually than men ($58,027 vs. $79,517). Given this gulf between salaries for women and men, it’s unsurprising that: women are more likely to run out of money before payday than men (34% vs. 25%); 41% of women report having less than $500 in their checking/savings accounts, compared to only 18% of men; and 63% of women say they do not earn enough to save, compared to 51% of men.

Other key findings in the research include:

Employers can provide resources, support

Salary Finance CEO and co-founder Asesh Sarkar said financial stress has significant effects on mental health that impact all aspects of one’s life, including work performance.

Despite the distraction that personal finances can create at work, the Salary Finance study found that 68% of employees feel that their employers care about their financial wellness and 79% trust their employer to keep personal financial information private. This information indicates that there is a powerful role for employers to play in improving the financial wellness of their employees, particularly women.

“Equal pay is just the tip of the iceberg,” Sarkar said. “To achieve true financial equality, we need to provide women with support in their financial lives. It’s imperative that employers take notice of the role they can play in making financial tools and education more accessible for women and examine their approach towards financial wellness benefits.”

While the survey is intended to help employers to better understand how personal money matters affect the day-to-day lives of employees and their performance at work, Salary Finance said it plans to use the results of the survey to inform a more robust study on women and financial wellness later this year.

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