Forty eight per cent of men polled said they loved every minute of their retirement, compared to 38% of women.

While men get their teeth into new hobbies and interests and are happy to spend time at home, women are more likely to spend their later years worrying about their lack of income, and feeling frustrated at the need to watch every penny.

Women are also more likely to feel lonely in retirement, and wish they lived closer to their family.

Stacey Stothard, corporate communications manager at Skipton Building Society, which commissioned the study of 678 retirees, said:
“Although many women do enjoy their retirement, this study shows they tend to worry more than men about certain things. Despite more women than men feeling ready to leave their jobs in the first place, they go on to miss more aspects of work than men do.

“After spending between 20 and 40 years in employment, it can be a shock to the system to find you have 24 hours a day, seven days a week to yourself. And this new found freedom gives women plenty of time to think about money worries, boredom and ill health.”

For women, a happy retirement relies on a good social life – indeed, 56% try to regularly meet up with friends compared to just 33% of men.

And when it comes to missing aspects of work, 62% of retired ladies admit they miss the banter they shared daily with colleagues, in contrast to 44% of men. Eight in 10 women often feel that they have no purpose left in life now that they aren’t in employment, compared to just 54% of men.

Stothard addded: “Everyone should aim for a happy retirement – you’ve worked hard all your life so surely you deserve that? While there will always be some factors outside of your control, there are plenty of others that aren’t. For today’s and the next generation of retirees, it’s quite feasible you could spend a third of your life in retirement so your post work years really are what you make of them.

“Like with all big events in life, the earlier you plan, the better.”