EU laws under threat over lower premiums for women

IN a move towards greater equality that will not be welcomed by the fairer sex, insurance companies could soon be prevented from the age-old practice of offering women lower life and car insurance.

Two men and the Belgian consumers organisation, Test-Achats, have challenged EU laws that allow insurance companies to charge men more for both types of insurance.

Under existing practices companies are allowed to differentiate on the basis of gender, but only in as far as they can prove statistically that there is a difference.