Policies to extend working lives increasingly seek to support people over 50 to return to employment. Yet we know relatively little about the role of pensions in this return, especially for women returning after varied or prolonged periods outside paid work, who are at greater risk of pension insecurity.

Drawing on 36 life-history interviews with women aged 49–65, this policy brief by Dr Helen Kowalewska shows that women with the greatest pension disadvantage may have the strongest need to return to employment, yet the least room to hold out for jobs that could improve their retirement security. Earlier employment gaps and part-time work around care, alongside continuing unpaid labour, recruitment barriers, and financial pressures, can channel women towards low-paid, low-hours, or unsustainable work. Even where workplace pensions are available, contributions may be unaffordable. State Pension insecurity can also shape decisions.

Policy should focus not simply on job re-entry, but on sustainable re-entry that enables women to rebuild retirement security. This brief outlines the changes needed to help achieve this.