Pensions sharing rules introduced in 2000 are not working for divorced women, according to a financial adviser.

Ruth Whitehead of Ruth Whitehead Associates said that the rules had been introduced to improve the provisions for divorced women.

However Ministry of Justice figures show that last year eight per cent of women obtained pension sharing orders, which Ms Whitehead said was “terrifying”.

The pension sharing rules let couples to split their pensions in half and replaced a system where one partner was left without sufficient pension provision through earmarking, which meant the woman could not draw money until her former husband took his.

“A lot of women don’t get the full financial support and advice that they should do when they are divorcing,” she said.

She added that, psychologically, it was difficult for women to go through a potentially lengthy process of obtaining a sharing order because often they wanted as clean and prompt a break as possible.

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