Indi women on the cusp of retirement have almost 40 per cent less superannuation than their male counterparts and women in Farrer aren't much better off, new data shows.
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Data from Industry Super Australia shows the median super balance for women in Indi aged 55 to 59 is $114,400, while Indi men of the same age group have $186,000.
Farrer women aged 55 to 59 have $120,200, 23 per cent less than their male counterparts, whose median super balance is $155,600.
Beyond Housing's Celia Adams said the fastest growing cohort of homeless people were older women.
She said women were more likely to take time off from work to raise children, or work in the home, leaving them less financially secure than men.
Ms Adams said without super or an income, many women who faced marriage breakdowns or family violence were at risk of homelessness in the current housing affordability crisis.
"We know it's not a shock women's super is persistently lower than men throughout life," she said.
"We know the biggest risk that places you at risk of homelessness is poverty, if you don't have an income or you don't have super, you're looking at living in poverty later in life. And it's more difficult to get a job over age 55 than when you're younger."
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The super balances of both men and women in Farrer and Indi are below the NSW and Australian medians, and below the $545,000 needed for a comfortable retirement.
Financial counsellor with Uniting Care Victoria and Tasmania, Kaily Goodsell, said a lot of currently retired people, especially women, had little to no super because superannuation was not a requirement when they were working.
She said retirement looked very different for people relying on a pension without super or with a small amount of super.
"You don't have the same choice of other people retiring with healthy super," Ms Goodsell said.
"You don't get to go have grey nomad adventures or anything, life remains on a tight financial leash.
"When don't have financials to back you up, you can't afford to be sick, you can't even afford for your grandchildren to come visit because it costs money for food and activities. These are the kinds of things people don't think about or consider."
Industry Super Australia is calling on the government to lift the legislated super rate from 9.5 per cent to 12 per cent.
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