Mums would rather change a dirty nappy than sort out life insurance
New research from Confused.com has found that 48% of mums don't have any life insurance cover. The main excuses behind their lack of protection were not understanding it (30%), not having time to sort it out (30%) and believing it was an unnecessary cost (36%). The comparison site also asked mums to rank a list of tasks in order of preference and found that most would rather change a dirty nappy than organise life insurance cover.
However, mums admitted that sorting our protection would be preferable to cleaning hair out of a plug-hole, going to the dentist and doing two weeks' worth of ironing.
Rank - Activity
1 Change a dirty nappy
2 Sort out life insurance cover
3 Clean hair out of the plug hole
4 Go to the dentist
5 Do two weeks' worth of laundry
6 Have a smear test
Mums were asked if there were any other reasons they had decided not to take life insurance cover and revealed the following excuses:
Failing to find the right provider
A lack of trust in the insurance providers
Finding it hard to find a policy because of pre-existing medical conditions
Having death in service benefit cover at work
‘My husband has it so I don't need to'
Commenting on the research, Matthew Lloyd, head of life insurance at Confused.com, said: "It's a real worry that so few mums have life insurance cover. Whether they go out to work or are full time parents it's important that they have protection in place for themselves and not just their partners. Sorting out life insurance cover doesn't have to take a long time or be complicated, but it is important to have in the event the worst should happen. Everyday tasks like washing, ironing, cleaning and doing the school run could all have to be paid for privately, and families should think about the value that stay-at-home parents provide and how they would cope financially with only one income.
"While death in service benefits at work and the breadwinner having protection are good to have in place, neither of these things will provide the same level of protection if the worst should happen. Families should make sure they fully take into account the value that both parents contribute and recognise that by ensuring they have sufficient life insurance in place."
Matthew's guide to life insurance:
Life insurance provides protection in the event the policyholder dies, providing a payout to cover mortgages, school fees, lost income, dependent on the policy;
Mums should work out how much cover they need to protect their contribution to the household and consider how long they would want this cover to last - i.e. until their children reach 18, 21 or older;
Life insurance can be compared and purchased at confused.com/life-insurance in just 15 minutes and is available from £5 per month.