Advocating for change
How Verve Super is taking action to close the super gender gap
Currently, women in Australia are retiring with around 25% less super than men. Most Australian women retire dependent on their partner or the old age pension*.
The reasons behind this disparity are complex, so Verve is taking action to address them from different angles to help close the gap.
Your super has power. With your voice, we have a platform to advocate for things that have a positive impact on women’s financial security and wellbeing.
Our advocacy areas
Gender pay gap
Not to be confused with equal pay, the gender pay gap results in women earning around 79c for every dollar that men earn, on average, across all industries. This compounds into savings and retirement gaps down the track.
Financial abuse
An estimated 16% of women in Australia experience financial abuse at some point, which damages their economic security and retirement income.
Climate & society
The way you invest your super is one of our most powerful advocacy tools, as it sends a message about the future we want to see. Our sustainable investment team engages with companies in our portfolios around the world to push for transparency and improvements where needed.
Equity & inclusion
At Verve Super, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are what drives our business and supports our best work. Standing firm against a whirlwind of patriarchal anti-DEI sentiment, Verve Super advocates for equality of opportunity for all genders, ethnicities, identities and ages.
Menopause
Menopause symptoms cost women in Australia an estimate $17 billion in lost earnings and retirement savings – despite it being a natural process affecting half the population! In 2024, Verve Super made a submission to parliament to advocate for paid menopause leave.
We know some of the people most impacted by wealth inequality include:
women of colour
gender-diverse people
First Nations women
women living with a disability
the young and the elderly
We value the lived experience of our members and seek to incorporate the voice of our members into our research and advocacy. We strive for greater economic equality for all people, with a specific focus on women in all their diversity.
As a fund, our role is firstly to help build the super balances of our members to give them the best possible outcome at retirement.
But performance is not the only focus when building women’s wealth - Verve Super also helps you invest in line with values that are as important to members as they are to us.
That's why we push the government and other organisations to improve policies and procedures in areas we find could help close the gender wealth gap. We are an independent, non-partisan voice, and we collaborate with others to create change.
Verve Super contributes to public policy, presenting recommendations at Parliament and joining campaigns to influence government decision-making, as Future Group, Verve’s parent company. Here are some examples.
