Source: Social Security Administration.

The gender pay gap has garnered all sorts of media and legislative attention, prompting marches, committee hearings, and petitions to Washington. There is even an Equal Pay Day to mark how far into the new year females must work to earn as much as men did the previous year (it was April 8 this year).


A 2013 report from the Employee Benefit Research Institute, based on 2011 numbers, found that IRAs owned by men had a median balance of $31,944, while the median balance for women was $21,642. For those aged 70 and older, median balances were $72,971 for men and $42,926 for women.

While this gap is troubling on its face, financial advisors say there are also several reasons why women need to save more aggressively than their male counterparts. Here are five of them.

1. Women often have fewer years in the workforce
"Many women don't earn as much as men and often end up working less because they take time off to have children at some point during their careers," says financial planner and author Douglas Goldstein.

In fact, a 2013 Pew Research Center study found that 27% of mothers say they have quit a job to care for a child or family member, compared to 10% of fathers. In addition, 49% of mothers have reduced their work hours to provide care, and 39% have taken a significant amount of time off work. Meanwhile, only 28% and 24% of fathers said the same, respectively.


2. Women may be more conservative in their investments
"Women have a tendency to be more conservative, sometimes to their detriment," says Keith Klein, CFP and owner of Turning Pointe Wealth Management.

While conservative investing can keep money safe, it may also mean women don't earn high enough returns to build a comfortable nest egg. However, it's not all bad news for women. Klein says this conservative approach also means women tend to ask more questions and stick with their investment decisions, which can be a good thing in a tumultuous market environment.


3. Women don't necessarily plan for themselves
Whether they let a man make their investment decisions or assume their husband's Social Security or pension will sustain them, many women make the mistake of not taking charge of their own retirement plans.


Klein suggests that part of the problem may lie with advisors who assume men are the decision makers. He says women shouldn't be afraid to speak up during investment discussions and that women are involved in more than 60% of the decisions made by his clients.


4. Women outlive men on average
Part of the reason women shouldn't leave all the decisions to the men in their life is that those men may not be around as long as them. Longevity doesn't necessarily contribute to the gender gap in retirement savings, but it is one reason women should be concerned about it.

"About 50 to 60% of women will be single (at some point) in retirement," says Klein.

Those women might be divorced, widowed, or simply unmarried. Regardless of the reason, they need to be prepared to take care of themselves during their final years. Goldstein says women, even divorced women, should check for the availability of spouse's benefits from Social Security and pension plans. However, that money will only go so far, and help may not be available from other sources.


5. Women may place others' needs ahead of their own
It's unfortunate that children and grandchildren may not feel an obligation to help their mothers and grandmothers because, in some cases, those older women may lack retirement savings because they prioritized their families above themselves. Children's college funds often get money before retirement plans, and family needs are placed before savings.



If enough women take control of their retirement planning, today's gender gap in retirement savings could become a thing of past.

This article originally appeared on MoneyRates.

When it comes to retirement, women may face some challenges men will not.
