Nasfund Calls for Improvements to Women’s Retirement Savings

Of Nasfund’s more than 733,000 members, over 193,000 are women equating to 26% of the Fund, 
and collectively holding K2.2 billion, or 28% of total member balances.
But beneath these headline figures lies a clear story, women’s superannuation falls behind over 
time.

In the early working years, women make up 27% of members aged 18–35. By age 36–50, that drops 
to 21%. It further dips to 17% between 51–60 years of age, and by 61+, only 14% of members are 
women. Female balance percentages start at 36% at age 18–35, at 36 to 50 years of age it falls to 
31%, then 23%, and finally 17% in the 61+ group. Women hold an average of K5,000 at ages 18–
35, rising to K27,000 at ages 51–60 but this drops sharply to K7,000 at 61+. Men show higher 
averages at every stage.

Across industries, women are more represented in finance, education, and hospitality, but remain 
significantly under-represented in labour-intensive fields such as mining. 
Nasfund Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Rajeev Sharma, says the patterns are clear:
“As a Fund, we recognize that many women experience periods away from paid work to care 
for families, and this naturally affects how much they can contribute over time. Our role now 
is to make superannuation simpler, more accessible, and more supportive, so every woman 
has a real chance to build long-term security in retirement.”

The data underscores a simple truth, when contribution years are interrupted, retirement 
outcomes suffer. Women especially those who step in and out of the workforce are more exposed 
to this.

To close this gap and support equitable retirement outcomes, Nasfund calls for action.
Employers are encouraged to:
• Pledge support for women’s long-term retirement outcomes.
• Enable employer voluntary contributions above the mandatory 8.4%, up to a 15% 
employer-paid cap, to help boost women’s balances.
• Encourage staff to take part in long-term saving through consistent contributions.
• Book a Nasfund Super Education Session for their teams to strengthen superannuation
understanding.

Members are encouraged to:
• Make Voluntary Contributions (VCs) to grow long-term savings
• Visit the Nasfund website and use the Superannuation Calculator to understand how 
savings can grow over time.

Women who step out of formal employment can still build meaningful retirement savings through 
Eda Supa, making small, regular contributions that benefit from long-term compounding.

Nasfund remains committed to working with employers, industry partners, and members to 
strengthen financial awareness, support female participation, and contribute to more equitable 
retirement outcomes for women across Papua New Guinea.