Australian women and economic security, 1988

The study aims to provide information on the applicability and value of the current retirement income system to women, in relation to women's changing work and family patterns. A national sample of over 1000 women is used to compare the life patterns of different age cohorts of Australian women across the adult life span. To date, future patterns of women's retirement have been extrapolated from the situations of those women who are currently older. The study investigates the hypothesis that women are economically disadvantaged in old age because the current retirement income system is designed around the traditional male work life pattern, which differs from that of most women. The questionnaire covers work history; including timing of and reasons for movements in and out of the work force; switching between full- and part- time work; marital history; children and child care; employment status of husband/partner; attitudes to superannuation; splitting of accrued superannuation upon divorce or retirement; membership and knowledge of superannuation scheme and its benefits, reasons for joining/not joining; other investments; household financial management currently, in retirement and on death or divorce of spouse. Background variables are highest level of education, occupation, income, home ownership, age, country of birth, full- or part- time employment, marital status.