MORE women are saving enough for their retirement because of new rules on workers' saving schemes - but men are still more likely to put aside enough money for their future, according to a report.

Half of the female population is now preparing adequately - up from 44 per cent in the past year - and the increase is thought to be down to changes in regulations, including workers being automatically enrolled in pension schemes.

However, the proportion of men saving enough money has increased by a greater amount - from 49 per cent in 2013 to 60 per cent this year - and they are also putting aside higher amounts every month for their retirement.

Lynn Graves, retirement expert at Scottish Widows, which carried out the report, said: "While it is still early days, the recent pension reforms are clearly helping more women in Scotland to save more for retirement, and to recognise the importance of starting this as early as possible.

"A record 1.28 million women are now employed in Scotland overall, but just a third of them are currently part of a company pension scheme, with a greater tendency towards career breaks and part-time working largely responsible for this.

"The continued rollout of auto enrolment should see this figure continue to increase, however we must not be complacent and need to explore how saving for retirement outside of paid employment can also be made easier so women are not left out in the cold."

The report suggested that women are saving an average of £187 a month towards their retirement, less than three-quarters the amount put aside by men. It means that over their working lives, there is a gender gap of £107,000.