Women's Risk in Life by the Chartered Insurance Institute Part 2

Women are more likely than men to be in insecure and temporary work and are more likely to feel financially insecure

·  Women are more likely to be on zero-hours contracts (3.4% compared with 2.4%) and temporary contracts (6.6% compared with 5.8%), and they are more than three times as likely to be working part-time than men (42% compared with 13%).

·  Women, and particularly those with children, are more likely to feel financially insecure. 1 in 2 women with three or more children say that their money would not last a month if they lost their primary income, compared with just 1 in 4 women without children.

Women are more likely than men to provide unpaid care which limits their ability to work, thereby contributing to lower incomes and savings and consequently lack of resilience to financial shock

·  Nearly a third of women in their late 50s are caring for an adult.

·  1 in 10 women belongs to the ‘sandwich generation’ and are providing care for both an adult and for dependent children. Those in their early 40s are most likely to be doing so, with 1 in 7 women of this age caring for children and older relatives.

Women face distinct health risks and are more likely to suffer from mental health problems

·   Women face distinct health risks, particularly around childbirth and menopause.

·   Women are less likely to meet the recommended levels of exercise, and 1 in 4 is obese, but they are less likely to smoke and to drink alcohol than men.

·   The menopause, which tends to affect women between the ages of 45 and 55, is associated with an increased risk of health problems including osteoporosis and heart disease.

·   Women are more likely to take time off sick from work, taking on average seven days off per year compared with four for men, but they are less likely to be on long-term sickness-related benefits.

·   Women, particularly those who are divorced or separated, report higher rates of mental health problems compared with men. 65% of divorced women have experienced a mental health condition, compared to 49% of divorced men and 51% of women as a whole. Mental health conditions can be a significant barrier to work, particularly for older women.

·   1 in 10 women suffers from post-natal depression in the year after giving birth.