Report – Closing the gender super gap: Pay super to all under-18 workers

Women currently approach retirement with 25 per cent less super than men, largely because they
spend more time out of paid work caring for family and children.

An outdated rule that under-18s must work at least 30 hours a week for one employer to be
entitled to super is age-based discrimination which widens the gender super gap – because young
women are significantly more likely than young men to work part-time.

This discrimination leads to women missing out on super contributions from a younger age.

Paying super to all under-18s could see a typical female teenager who works for at least two
years benefit from almost $2,500 in their super account by the time they turn 18. This is projected
to grow to $11,000 (in today’s dollars) as they reach retirement age. A typical teenage man could
have $2,000 more super by age 18, and $9,000 more by retirement.