There's been the virtual elimination of new private sector defined benefit pensions. Which isn't even entirely a bad thing. Leaving aside issues of benefits being cut in some cases, it was always a system that was designed around people staying decade+ in the same job. And between that and SS in the US, people didn't have much choice for a huge chunk of their savings.

The problems is the various defined contribution schemes were never introduced in a systematic way as you say. 401(k)'s history is particularly unplanned.