Concerns that employers don't pay pensions and health insurance

Women in the Irish workforce get less in pension benefits and bonuses, but more in flexible working

hour benefits than their male counterparts.

This was one of the primary findings of a survey from protection experts at Aviva, which looked at benefits currently offered by Irish employers and those sought by Irish workers. The survey was carried out via Behaviour & Attitude’s online panel, Acumen.

Commenting on the findings, Karen Gallagher of Aviva, said:“The findings support the widely held contention that women have fewer financial provisions than men – particularly when it comes to pensions. There’s also a very real and obvious gender divide when it comes to employee benefits – with men appearing to seek and receive more financial extras than women. The only area it seems in which women get more in terms of benefits is around flexible working hours."

She said:"What’s also apparent is that workers are, to a large extent, unaware that they themselves are responsible for the financial implications of work interruption due to illness - just 15% of employers pay health insurance contributions and only 4% pay Income Protection premiums. This is concerning because less than half the workforce have private health insurance and far fewer have Income Protection – which leads us to believe that there is a high level of financial exposure when it comes to illness in Irish households.”