THE high number of women workers who will only have a State pension when they retire is a cause for concern, according to the chairman of the Irish Association of Pension Funds Dr Brian Aylward. Only 43 per cent of female employees are covered by occupational pension funds compared with 58 per cent of men, he said.

Women are entering the workforce at a much faster rate than men but too few are making adequate pension provisions, he warned. Only 14 per cent of the women employed full time in the distribution sector are in occupational pension schemes while female temporary employees across all sectors have virtually no pension cover, he said.