Meet 3 women working to close the retirement gap

When we talk about women and #retirement, we often talk about inequalities and gaps. Women earn less money [1]. Women hold fewer leadership positions [2]. Women spend less time in the workforce [3]. Women save less for retirement [4]. The reasons for these systemic issues are complex—and I’ll continue to discuss them here.

However, for this month, #womenshistorymonth, I want to use this space to shed light on some good news related to women and retirement. Let’s celebrate the women who are working tirelessly to change the retirement narrative for other women, starting with three people I personally admire and think you should know more about:

1. Katie Selenski , executive director of CalSavers . Designed to ensure all Californians have access to a workplace retirement plan, CalSavers has already enrolled over 400,00 workers. Under Katie’s leadership, CalSavers has proven why we need more private-public partnerships. The program she runs has been so successful that other states are considering adopting similar ones. “We’re here to level the playing field,” Katie said in an article published by the Harvard Kennedy School [5]. “And I think what it comes down to is that there is a role for government to play here.”
2. ? Jo Ann Jenkins , CEO of AARP . An incredibly inspiring thought leader, Jo Ann has been instrumental in advocating for social change, empowerment, and the need for everyone to have financial security in retirement. The AARP frequently conducts surveys on women and retirement, and Jo Ann recently published a book called Disrupt Aging.
3. Sarah Godlewski , board member of the One Country Project . Working at the public-private intersection throughout her career, Sarah most recently served as the State Treasurer of Wisconsin from 2019-2022, where she played an integral role in bringing economic security to rural communities and families across the state—and in spearheading the innovative idea of a “401Kids account.”[6] Previously, she also cofounded an investment fund that empowers female entrepreneurs through financing opportunities.

Throughout March, I hope you’ll check back here for more stories about, and conversations with, other women I admire. Of course, I’d love to hear about the women you admire, too, so please share who you think we should all know about in the comments section. Let’s work together to close the retirement inequality gap—and in honor of Women’s History Month, let’s shine the spotlight on some trailblazing women.

[1]https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/09/1126901#:~:text=For%20every%20dollar%20men%20earn,the%20global%20gender%20pay%20gap

[2] Lean in, The State of the pipeline: Women in the Workplace 2022

[3] World Economic Forum, Global Gender Gap Report, 2022

[4] OECD, Gender Equality Pension Benefits, 2020

[5] https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty-research/policy-topics/public-finance/katie-selenski-mpp-2007

[6] https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2022/03/01/bill-would-offer-every-wisconsin-child-a-chance-to-start-saving-from-birth/