Retirement in Ireland is not “designed for single people”. 

That’s according to Evoke.ie Content Editor Sarah Jayne Tobin who spoke to Lunchtime Live about what it is like to plan for the future as a single woman.

All this week, the show has been discussing the pros and cons of singledom and Ms Tobin thinks finances are one of the biggest negatives.

“I’m trying to learn about pensions and investment opportunities as a single person but it’s absolutely impossible,” she said.

“Ireland isn’t a country designed for single people.

“As you said there, trying to get a mortgage on your own is near impossible.

“Even getting a taxi home if you’re on a night out with pals, you’re paying for the taxi fare on your own.

“Everything is just so exaggerated when you’re single.”

Hands of an elderly pensioner holding leather wallet with euro currency money.

Ms Tobin is hopeful she will someday meet her “Prince Charming” but in the meantime admits paying for everything as a single person can be tough.

“I try not to think 10 steps ahead because then I will freak out and have a proper panic attack,” she said.

“So, I just look at today and say, ‘Okay, for the next month, this is what I need to get through.’

“Just to make ends meet, pay the bills, all that kind of stuff.

“At the same time, I do have a kind of low lying anxiety when I start thinking, ‘10 years from now, where will I be?’”

When she was married, Ms Tobin paid into a pension - but she cashed it out during lockdown.

She has a “good job” and is being paid a “good wage” but still worries about that she is not saving enough for the future.

“I can’t keep working until I’m ready to… die,” she said.

“And I’ve paid into society, I’ve always paid my taxes, it’s just one of those things were you’re always stuck between a rock and a hard place.”

You can listen back here:

Main image: An elderly woman at her kitchen table. Picture by: Alamy.com