The Gender Pension Gap in China.

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Economics
• Gerontology

Background:

• China exhibits a pronounced gender gap in labor force participation, employment sectors, and earnings.
• A significant gender pension gap exists, with women aged 60+ receiving approximately half the social pension amount of men.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the primary drivers of the gender pension gap in China.
• To quantify the contributions of occupational pension receipt and benefit levels to the pension gap.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the 2013 wave of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) and the 2014 CHARLS Life History Survey.
• Employed statistical analysis to examine factors influencing pension disparities between genders.

Main Results:

• Approximately 75% of the pension deficit for women is attributed to their lower probability of receiving occupational pensions.
• An additional one-third of the gap stems from lower benefit amounts for women when they do receive pensions.
• Education level and employment sector explain the gender deficit in occupational pension receipt.
• Among pension recipients, fewer years of employment and lower salaries account for nearly one-third of the gender benefit gap.

Conclusions:

• Labor market disadvantages for women are the principal cause of the gender pension gap in China.
• Addressing gender disparities in occupational pension access and benefit levels is crucial for reducing the pension gap.