Women are falling behind when financially preparing for their futures. Anne Ackerley, Head of BlackRock's Retirement Group, and Karen Andres, Project Director for Aspen Institute's Retirement Savings Initiative break down the challenges facing women and retirement and how the industry can change to be more inclusive.Sources1 U.S. Government Accountability Office, “The Gender Pay Gap and Its Effect on Women’s Retirement Savings”, March 24, 2021 (https://www.gao.gov/blog/gender-pay-gap-and-its-effect-womens-retirement-savings#:~:text=We%20found%20that%20women%20reported,30%25%20lower%20than%20men's%20contributions) 2 National Women’s Law Center, “Another 275,000 Women Left The Labor Force In January”, February 5, 2021 (https://nwlc.org/resource/january-jobs-day-2021/)3 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “Week 41 Household Pulse Survey: December 29, 2021 – January 10, 2022”, (https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2021/demo/hhp/hhp41.html#tables)4 BlackRock, “2021 BlackRock DC Pulse”, (https://www.blackrock.com/institutions/en-us/insights/defined-contribution/dc-pulse-survey-2021#form)5 Education Data Initiative, "Student Loan Debt by Gender", December 16, 2021 (https://educationdata.org/student-loan-debt-by-gender#:~:text=Women%20hold%2058%25%20of%20all,to%20pay%20off%20student%20loans.)6 National Community Reinvestment Coalition, "Racial Wealth Snapshot: Women, Men, And Racial Wealth Divide", March 3, 2022 (https://ncrc.org/racial-wealth-snapshot-women-men-and-racial-wealth-divide/)7 AARP, "Voters Overwhelmingly Support Workplace Retirement Savings Plans", October, 20,2021 (https://www.aarp.org/retirement/planning-for-retirement/info-2021/poll-results-workplace-savings-plans.html#:~:text=AARP%20research%20shows%20that%20Americans,their%20workplace%20savings%20is%20automatic.) RO: 2092084DISCLOSURES This material is for informational purposes and is prepared by BlackRock, is not intended to be relied upon as a forecast, research or investment advice, and is not a recommendation, offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or to adopt any investment strategy. The opinions expressed are as of date of publication and are subject to change. The information and opinions contained in this material are derived from proprietary and nonproprietary sources deemed by BlackRock to be reliable and are not guaranteed as to accuracy or completeness. This material may contain ’forward looking’ information that is not purely historical in nature. There is no guarantee that any forecasts made will come to pass. Reliance upon information in this material is at the sole discretion of the reader. Past performance is not indicative of current or future results. This information provided is neither tax nor legal advice and investors should consult with their own advisors before making investment decisions. The value of investments and the income from them can go down as well as up and you may not get back the amount invested. BlackRock does and may seek to do business with companies covered in this podcast. As a result, readers should be aware that the firm may have a conflict of interest that could affect the objectivity of this podcast. In the U.S. and Canada, this material is intended for public distribution. In the UK and Non-European Economic Area (EEA) countries: this is Issued by BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered office: 12 Throgmorton Avenue, London, EC2N 2DL. Tel:+ 44 (0)20 7743 3000. Registered in England and Wales No. 02020394. For your protection telephone calls are usually recorded. Please refer to the Financial Conduct Authority website for a list of authorised activities conducted by BlackRock. In the European Economic Area (EEA): this is Issued by BlackRock (Netherlands) B.V. is authorised and regulated by the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets. Registered office Amstelplein 1, 1096 HA, Amsterdam, Tel: 020 – 549 5200, Tel: 31-20- 549