The federal government is mooting changes to superannuation to help boost the super investments of those who have to take time out of the workforce.
There have also been calls to make superannuation tax benefits more uniform, and to bring down capital gains tax concessions.
There are many reasons a person has to take time out from work: illness, to care for someowne who's sick or elderly, or having a baby or raising children.
People taking time off on parental leave are not usually contributing to superannuation - it's one reason why women can find themselves retiring with $85,000 less in super than men.
Treasurer Scott Morrison has presented a proposal to allow women who take time off work to have a child, and carers, to top-up their superannuation deposits when re-entering the workforce without being subject to tax penalties.
He told 2GB Radio the government recognises that women in particular are prone to having their work patterns disrupted, making it harder to build up their superannuation.
"One of the things that has happened over the last 25 years is, I think, that we have become more aware of how things change over a person's working life. People's working patterns are far more flexible today and we need to have a superannuation system that, I think, reflects those changes in people's lives. There are many different pathways to get to where we want them to get to -- which is independence in retirement -- and the system at the moment can be quite rigid."
Labor spokesman on financial services and superannuation Jim Chalmers says the fact 38 per cent of the tax concessions go to the top 10 per cent in the superannuation system is also unfair.
Mr Chalmers says the government has cut the low income superannuation contribution and is freezing the superannuation guarantee at 9.5%.
He questions the government's claims it wants to address the gender-gap in superannuation savings.
"They are cutting the low-income superannuation contribution for 3.5 million Australians, of which 2.2 million are Australian women. They are also freezing the superannuation guarantee which costs the average retirement balance something like $20,000."
He says they should give Australian women a fair go in the superannuation system by reversing the cuts they are making to their retirement balances.
Mr Chalmers says a senate inquiry is underway to investigate ways to reduce the large retirement income gap between men and women.
He says if women are to improve their savings for retirement, the gender pay gap also needs to be addressed.
Meanwhile, economics advisory agency Deloitte Access Economics has recommended the Government change the way it taxes super contributions to spread the benefits to low income earners.
The study shows that high-income earners, the majority of whom are men, are getting much greater benefits from the current superannuation tax concessions than low income earners.
Deloitte's Chris Richardson says a flat rate tax discount of 15 percent would not only spread the benefits, but also raise about 6-billion-dollars in government revenue.
"This gives everybody in Australia the same tax break from putting an extra dollar into super, 15 cents to the dollar. Much fairer, (it) would save the government a chunk of money and that, in turn, might unlock the gates to tax reform more widely."
The Deloitte report also recommends the government reduce tax breaks on capital gains.
It recommends the current tax discount on profits from the sale of property and shares be reduced from a half, to one third.
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