The votes of female pensioners could be lost, the report warns

In addition, women in an couple receive just 32p for every �1 of pension income received by the man, a report by Age Concern and the Fawcett Society says.

Three quarters of women aged 55-64 said they were unhappy with the government's handling of the UK pension crisis.

The government could lose women's votes as a result of the discrepancy, the report warns.

It calls on the government to take urgent action to ensure the state pension system works for women.

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The report also criticises the current pension system for being outdated, unfair and littered with obstacles for people who have moved in and out of paid work.

And it suggests the means-tested Pension Credit - introduced by the government last October - is leaving the finances of many poor women pensioners untouched.

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Pension Credit guarantees a minimum income for all UK pensioners as well as topping up small personal and occupational pensions.

The report's authors say that up to 380,000 of the poorest women pensioners are not claiming the credit.

Their findings suggest that 91% of all women believe the government should make a higher basic state pension a priority.

"There is growing anger from women of all ages that the government isn't listening to them," said Age Concern spokeswoman Michelle Mitchell.

"If the government fails to act, it will break its promise to create opportunity for all and it could prove costly at the ballot box."