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# premiums
Men reaping benefits of insurance gender directive – women not so much
Women who smoke, in particular, have been hit by the introduction of the directive with premiums between one and 25 per cent higher
WOMEN ARE BEARING the brunt of the gender directive that was introduced in December 2012, while men see their premiums drop 30 per cent in the last five years.
The gender directive states that the sex of a person can no longer be taken into consideration when assessing customers. Analysis conducted by Caledonian Life has revealed that premiums in life and mortgage cover for men are dropping across all age brackets but it has all become more expensive for women.
Women who smoke, in particular, have been hit by the introduction of the directive with premiums between one and 25 per cent higher. Before the directive, a ten year analysis showed decreases across the board – for both men and women. However, men and women are now paying the same price for life cover, meaning an increase for females.
The data shows that even male smokers have seen a decrease of between 20 and 24 per cent in life cover in the last five years. Women in their 30s fare worst in mortgage protection with non-smokers seeing a 25 per cent rise in policy prices.
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Caledonian said this news is “mixed” as it highlights the differences in pricing for men and women over the years and reveals that “males have definitely fared better in recent years with marked reductions”.
