"Savings may well be more affordable prior to starting a family and those which are put aside early on will also benefit most from investment growth over time."
Her comments were echoed by those of independent pensions consultant Baroness Ros Altmann, former pensions minister.
Altmann said: "The UK’s deliberately low state pension policy relies on private pensions to top it up. But millions of pensioners, mostly women, have no private pension at all.
"Many never had the chance for an occupational pension and seem to have been ignored or overlooked in policy deliberations. This leaves them vulnerable to poverty. Denying them the earnings link will make them worse off relative to the rest of society."
But there was an element of "good news", according to Tait. She said: "Since the introduction of the new state pension, women are more likely to qualify for a full state pension in their own right, which will be payable however long they live."
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