The total pre-tax pension enjoyed by Dutch women when they stop work at 65 is around 40% that of Dutch men, according to new European Commission figures.

Luxemburg, Germany, Britain and the Netherlands are the only EU member states where the gap is bigger than the community-wide average of 39%. The smallest pension gap, at 4%, is in Estonia.

The commission said there are three main reasons for the pension divide: women are less likely to have a job, they work fewer hours and they have lower pay. They are also likely to retire earlier.