Ladies, ladies, ladies. What would Rosie the Riveter say? News from The Hartford shows that while women have made gains in the job market — now holding half of the nation’s 132 million jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics — a gap remains in their understanding and use of benefits that protect their income.
Although 68% of women say they are the primary decisionmaker in their household, a smaller number (64%) of female wage earners they “completely or mostly” understand life insurance compared with 79% of men, The Hartford reports. And just 61% of women workers say they have life insurance through their employer, compared to 68% of men.
Now, women do have higher participation in health benefits, including medical and dental coverage, according to The Hartford. But I suspect that’s because in addition to being the primary “decider” at home, women also are the primary caregiver. And what would any good caregiver do, other than make sure she provided her loved ones with medical coverage if they get sick?
She would make sure those same loved ones had adequate finances should the unthinkable happen to her — that’s what.
“Women are making important contributions to the U.S. economy and to their family finances,” says Laura Marzi, assistant VP of marketing in The Hartford’s group benefits division. Indeed, men have suffered the most job losses in the past year, and women have outpaced men in getting jobs in the sectors that are growing, such as health care and education, according to BLS.
“We hope a lesson from recent tough times will be the importance of financial planning, including life insurance for all wage earners in a family,” Marzi adds. “Life insurance cannot replace the loss of a loved one and their contributions to family finances, but it can help keep dreams alive.”
Marzi also reminds that September is Life Insurance Awareness Month.
