Pension scheme plagued by gender disparity

• Female participation lags

By Rosemary Iriam

THE Nigerian labour force under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), remained heavily dominated by male workers in 2025, as the number of registered male contributors rose to 8.75 million against 3.47 million female subscribers.

Data obtained from the Pension Fund Administrator (PenCom) showed by the National Pension Commission, PenCom, showed that female participation in the pension industry remained significantly low, highlighting the gender disparity in the scheme.

According to the report, female contributors accounted for 30.93 per cent of total Retirement Savings Account (RSA) holders during the period under review.

PenCom further disclosed that females contributed an average campaign and policies targeted at increasing female participation in the pension scheme.

PenCom stated: “Female participation at 30.93 per cent indicates that gender disparity persists. Further analysis of the RSA registration trend revealed that female participation increased from 10.58 million to 14.09 million between 2015 and 2024, representing a 33 per cent growth.

“However, this increase remains lower than male participation, which grew from 18.75 million to 25.84 million within the same period.”

In 2024, the report indicated that female participation rose to 3.95 per cent of total pension contributors in the formal sector, compared to 6.87 per cent recorded in 2015.

PenCom emphasised the need for inclusive policies and awareness campaigns to bridge the gender gap in pension participation.

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