Battle of the Sexes: Who Pays More For Life Insurance?

In a society where the battle of the sexes runs neck-at-neck for almost all cases, it's a hands-down winner in the race for who plays less for life insurance. The winner is women. But why?

A study by the Society of Actuaries done in February of 2001, concluded that testosterone wreaks havoc behaviorally and biologically on men's bodies, which leads to a higher risk of disease, as well as risk-taking behavior-like unsafe driving and drug and alcohol abuse. This is because testosterone promotes higher blood pressure while it lowers the effectiveness of the immune system. The greatest difference in mortality rates is seen at age 22, when testosterone is at its highest.

Traditionally, it was believed that women lived longer than men because most worked from home. But more recent studies have shown that women who are out in the working force actually live longer than those who are homemakers.

Additional studies have been done in an attempt to study demographic mortality rates of men and women. The conclusion of such studies showed that men typically have a higher rate of dying from cancer, diabetes mellitus, heart disease, strokes, pulmonary disease and infections-hence why men pay more for life insurance. The highest and more prevalent danger now, for both sexes, is cigarette smoking. Smoking takes more than nine years off a normal life expectancy, compared to a life expectancy of a non-smoker.

If risk-taking behaviors and bad habits are assessed early, and steps are taken to correct them, both men and women can expect to extend their life expectancy substantially. The better and healthier you are, the easier it will be to find affordable and adequate life insurance. If you are interested in receiving a life insurance quote, log on to Insurance.com. Here you will be able to evaluate multiple rates from best-in-class life insurance providers - helping you find the best life insurance coverage for you and your budget.