Master's Thesis

Economic Policy student Sarah wrote her Thesis about the gender pension gap in Belgium

Whether one receives a pension can have serious consequences: For older people, a pension is often the only income source. In her Thesis, Sarah analyzes the gender gap in pensions for individuals who live in Belgium by using Survey for Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe data.

Sarah: "Most people start thinking about their pension income when they reach an age close to the legal retirement age of 65 years. What some do not realize, is that the size of their pension depends on choices made during their lifetime."

Existing literature has highlighted that characteristics such as policies, the presence and type of a pension system, gender roles, the labor market, and wealth all have a direct and/or indirect effect on the gender gap in pension income.

Sarah concludes that the majority of the predicted gap cannot be explained by differences in observable characteristics between the sexes. "To date, no country has successfully closed this gap."