Life insurance is not more expensive for men than for women just because they are men: since 21 December 2012, UK insurers have not been allowed to price a new policy differently on the grounds of sex. Men did tend to pay more for term cover before then, and where a man’s quote comes out higher today, the reason lies in other details such as age, smoking, health, the amount of cover and the term.

Curious what you, or you and a partner side by side, would actually be offered? Leave a phone number in the brief form on this page, and real figures are what an FCA-authorised broker goes through with you when they call back at no charge.

What the law says about pricing life insurance by sex

The change came from a European court ruling that UK law then followed. The Equality Act 2010 (Amendment) Regulations 2012 (S.I. 2012/2992) were made on 29 November 2012 and came into force on 21 December 2012. Regulation 2 is one line:

Paragraph 22 of Schedule 3 (services: exceptions relating to insurance etc.) to the Act is omitted.

The Explanatory Note, which is not part of the Regulations, explains what that paragraph did: "Article 5(2) provides that Member States may permit proportionate differences in individuals’ premiums and benefits where the use of sex is a determining factor in the assessment of risk based on relevant and accurate actuarial and statistical data." It adds that the change follows the Court of Justice ruling in Case C-236/09, known as Test-Achats. With the exception gone, the Act’s general rule for services covers pricing by sex: a service-provider "must not, in providing the service, discriminate against a person (B)— (a) as to the terms on which A provides the service to B".

The European Commission’s factsheet of 20 December 2012 put it in plain words: "The change will apply to all new contracts for insurance products, including car insurance, life insurance and annuities." It added that "men and women with the same characteristics (e.g. age, state of health depending on the product) should pay the same price for the same product."

Northern Ireland, whose sex discrimination law is a separate Order of 1976, made the same change through its own regulations (S.R. 2012/462), which also came into operation on 21 December 2012. So the rule covers new policies across the UK.

Did men used to pay more?

The Commission’s factsheet says that "In the past, men and women sometimes paid a different price for different types of insurance because of their sex", and that "those who paid more (such as men for term-life insurance), are likely to pay less in future." That is where the idea that men pay more comes from. It describes the position before the change, across the European Union as a whole, and puts no figure on the gap for UK term cover, so the old difference is history rather than something a man buying a policy today should expect.

Why a man and a woman can still get different quotes

The same Commission factsheet is clear that equal pricing by sex does not mean identical quotes: "men and women might end up not always paying the same price for the same insurance product, because of different individual characteristics unrelated to sex." Legal & General’s premiums guide (15 May 2026) links the price to how likely you are to make a valid claim, and lists ten personal factors that feed into it:

  • age
  • health status
  • family medical history
  • weight
  • smoker status
  • alcohol consumption
  • occupation
  • hobbies
  • mental health
  • where you live

Royal London’s guide (10 June 2026) names a similar set, putting age among the biggest, and says that "A significant factor in the price of your cover will be your smoking habits." Neither list includes sex. For the policy itself, the L&G guide adds that "the higher your amount of cover, the higher your life insurance premiums will be" and that a longer policy is likely to cost more, a point Royal London makes too.

So two people of different sexes can see different prices because one smokes, has a higher body mass index, does a risky job or hobby, is older, or has chosen more cover or a longer term. Our pages on smokers, BMI, alcohol and age take those one at a time.

Is life insurance more expensive for women?

Not because she is a woman. The 2012 change works in both directions; in the Commission’s words, "people will no longer have to pay more, or less, simply because of their gender." Where a woman’s quote comes out above a man’s, the place to look is the details that do move the price: age, health, weight, smoking, job, hobbies, the amount of cover and the term. How much any one of those adds in your case is something the broker on the call-back can show you with real quotes, free.

The insurer matters as well as the person. Legal & General’s guide notes that premiums may vary with the insurer you pick, because each firm works out its costs in its own way, so the same woman, or the same man, can be offered different prices by two firms for identical cover.

How to compare fairly if you and your partner buy cover

Compare like with like. Give the same amount of cover, the same term and the same honest answers on smoking and health, then read any difference as coming from those details. Our guide to how much life insurance costs in the UK goes further on pricing, and joint or separate policies covers the other choice couples face.

To get your own figure, the free form on this page gets an FCA-authorised broker to call you; they can lay out policies from the insurers they work with and see how each would view your circumstances in one go. More on prices is in the cost and quotes guides.

Frequently asked questions

Does the 2012 rule still apply in the UK?

Yes. The revised Equality Act 2010 on legislation.gov.uk, up to date to 21 October 2026, still shows the insurance exception in paragraph 22 of Schedule 3 as omitted from 21 December 2012. The change was made for England, Wales and Scotland by the 2012 Regulations, and for Northern Ireland by its own 2012 regulations.

Why did my partner get a different quote from me?

Royal London points out that people with the same insurer can still pay quite different amounts. Differences in age, health, smoking, cover amount and term, or a different insurer, are the usual explanation.

I bought my policy before December 2012. Was it priced by sex?

It may have been. Regulation 3 of the 2012 Regulations keeps the old insurance exception for a contract concluded before 21 December 2012. Your insurer can tell you how your own policy was priced.

Sources

  • HM Treasury, The Equality Act 2010 (Amendment) Regulations 2012 (S.I. 2012/2992, made 29 November 2012), read 21 October 2026. legislation.gov.uk
  • legislation.gov.uk, Equality Act 2010, Schedule 3 Part 5 and section 29 (revised text), read 21 October 2026. legislation.gov.uk
  • Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister, The Sex Discrimination Order 1976 (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012 (S.R. 2012/462, made 21 December 2012), read 21 October 2026. legislation.gov.uk
  • European Commission, MEMO/12/1012 Factsheet: EU rules on gender-neutral pricing in insurance (20 December 2012), read 21 October 2026. ec.europa.eu
  • Legal & General, How are life insurance premiums calculated? (15 May 2026), read 21 October 2026. legalandgeneral.com
  • Royal London, What factors affect the cost of life insurance? (10 June 2026), read 21 October 2026. royallondon.com