Is There a Gender Gap in Support for Distributive Principles in Old Age Pension Schemes?

Abstract

A number of studies have identified a gender gap in social attitudes, but few have studied the phenomenon in the context of old age pension schemes. Using data from a 2019 Norwegian survey, we examined patterns of support for three distribution principles in pensions (anti-poverty, merit, and equality). Compared to men, women are more supportive of the anti-poverty and equality principles, and less supportive of the merit principle. The gender difference for the anti-poverty principle persists in multivariate analyses, but disappears for the merit and equality principles when we control for socioeconomic factors, particularly income. Analyzing men and women separately revealed that partnership status and health interact with gender. Income however appears to affect men and women equally; high-income women are as likely as high-income men to support the principle of merit and reject the principle of equality.