Despite being more than double the size of the gender pay gap, very few people are aware of the Gender Pension Gap (the difference between the average man’s and woman’s pension pot) or the unintended consequences that life events and choices can have on women’s financial futures. It’s difficult for most people to relate to, or have headspace for, issues that will only impact them 40 to 50 years in the future.
However, loss aversion is a powerful behavioural motivator. Whilst there’s no shortage of online pension calculators to show you your future gains there are none that show you your future losses as a woman; none that project the reduction of the pot you could have had.
So, we decided to create one for International Women’s Day 2024 with Scottish Widows.

By combining data from Scottish Widow’s annual ‘Women & Retirement Report’ with ONS data on average incomes and working patterns we created a unique, ‘reverse’ pension calculator. Based on three simple lifestyle questions, our Beat the Gap tool showed women a projected pension pot that then dramatically eroded and reduced with every lifestyle choice they made about their future (before offering tailored tips about how to avoid the pitfalls highlighted).
Then we gave it to high profile TikTok influencers and showcased their reactions.
This unique digital tool turned a vague and distant sense of inequality into a very palpable and immediate feeling of personal injustice for young women.
After just one week we had over 60 million video views with the Scottish Widows’ Beat the Gap tool receiving over half a million visits. 87% of people who saw the campaign said they would take an action such as talking to friends and family about the gap or finding out more about it (IPSOS). Not bad for a re-wired pensions calculator.
