Industry Super targets women with SG campaign

Industry Super said the new campaign would use social media to target women under 35, warning them that an increase to the SG was “a crucial part of closing the gender super gap”.

The group said men currently had $282 billion more in super than women, and women were retiring with 36 per cent less on average.

In lieu of gender-specific measures to help close the super gap, including paying super contributions on Commonwealth parental leave and eliminating the $450 a week earnings threshold for contributions, Industry Super said a freeze to the SG would “make it even harder to catch up” in terms of women’s super savings.

The group had found its existing campaign warning against the dangers of an SG freeze had had particular cut-through with women, who were accounting for two-thirds of total views of the group’s YouTube ads.

“Women are already being left behind at retirement – now some federal politicians want to cut women’s super, making it even harder to catch up,” Industry Super director of advocacy Georgia Brumby said.

“More women than men are likely to receive the legislated super increase – delivering on this promise is key to bridging the gender super gap. Until we fix inequities in the super system we will continue to see women retiring with balances that are persistently lower than men.”

Ms Brumby said the campaign was delivering on industry funds’ responsibility to members, off the back of recent criticism from Coalition backbenchers around the sector’s use of member funds for advertising and media deals.

“Our members expect us to protect their financial interests and warn them about changes that will leave them worse off at retirement and that’s exactly what this campaign will do,” she said.