There has been a lot of talk about women and superannuation.

Recent articles state that women are getting short changed and of course end up with little to not enough super for their retirement.

Women live longer and of course due to this they will need more money to maintain a reasonable standard of living. Due to being underpaid for jobs (not getting the same pay as men for the same job), taking time out to have children and then look after them, if you have had kids or care for a family member you most likely work part time or maybe not at all (well you are working but not getting paid and of course no money is entering your superannuation account).

I for one don’t get why women are still paid less for the same role, why is that women can accept or be paid less. As a gender I don’t want this and of course it affects society. If women cannot contribute to fund a decent retirement then we will need help from the government to assist us in our twilight years.

Not getting equal pay in 2013 is unbelievable to say the least! I don’t know if I was on target with males doing the same job when I was working (now a stay at home mum to my twin girls), however I was paid very well and my salary always went up every year. I was studying to improve my earning potential and of course dong things online to stay current in my field. These skills are not being used aside for on my blog, currently due to the logistics of getting a job and caring for twins.

Why can’t there be better return to work options for women in my situation. I live out of the city centre, I would love to do a part time role or even a full time role, however best as a work from home position. If there was cheaper and help to fund their childcare (maybe a rebate from the government, having women out of the workforce does not help society) then going back to work and funding your superannuation account would not be an issue.

Currently I am not working due to having to look after the kids and drop them at pre-school during the week. It all falls in a heap when the school holidays roll around. I keep my eye on the papers and jobs on offer. Problem is when they require you to be in the city and I have to pick up kids at 2.45pm and of course what if it falls on days that they don’t go to school? I will be up for at least $100 a day or more as I would need to put them in care.

I cannot afford to put two kids in care as it defeats the earnings I would make on the job. This in turn means that my retirement savings have stalled and is being eaten away by fees. This is another of my pet hates about superannuation, why tax us and make us pay huge fees! It feels like the government double dips here and of course it makes you feel like you cannot win as everywhere you turn someone is taking your money and you are trying to save so you will not need a pension.

As stated, I am not in the paid workforce and this means that we are prioritising on our everyday overheads: mortgage, school fees, stuff for the kids, clothes, shoes, bills, and finally food. There might be more that I have left out but you get the idea.

I want to have heaps and heaps of money in savings for my retirement, but I don’t think that will happen. I get the feeling that the government would like to have everyone be self-sufficient and they will eventually not pay a pension; or when I get close to retirement age they change the age and I will have another 20 years to work. Who knows?

We hope to have our new house built in the next year or so and the plan is to have it paid off before we retire. If we can have the major items paid for, maybe it might not be so bad. This will not be helped if we need a new car or white goods cark it.

What are your thoughts on being a woman and contributing to your superannuation account? Do you still put in money even if you are not working? Have you found it hard, or was it easy to just add a little.
One thought is that if I did add a little would this just be the fees that they would take from me, would any of it actually get to my account?

Tell us your stories of how you manage to save for your retirement.

Suzanne Robinson is an ex career girl (well still a career girl, but not in the office and getting paid). She has worked for the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), News Ltd.’s, CareerOne.com.au as a producer and lots more.

She is a mother to four year old identical twin girls, who keep her very busy. On top of looking after the girls, she is studying for a master’s degree in project management, blogging on her blog “Mummy to Twins”, attempting to keep the house clean and tidy, and trying to fit in some me time as well.