RETIRED women face a pension gap that leaves them effectively without income for four-and-a-half months a year, a new TUC analysis found today.

The income gap between retired men and women now stands at 37.9 per cent, averaging at £7,000 a year difference and far surpassing the gender pay gap, which currently stands at 14.3 per cent, a calculation by Prospect union found.

The TUC highlights that the amount of time women spend out of paid work or working part-time because of caring responsibilities is one of the most significant factors as it limits their ability to build up a workplace pension.