We live in the day and age where equality is something that doesn't need to be discussed - it's an obvious virtue of our society that everyone can benefit from. And while there are many people who would argue that equality - whether gender, ethnic or by any other trait - is simply a part of a politically-correct culture that has nothing to do with the real world, it would be wrong to argue that it's here knowing how things have changed over the period of the 20th century. Those, who believe that they aren't treated equally just because of their gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation have the power to stand up for their rights, and it's something everyone knows about and respects. But at the same time, there are still certain areas where gender inequality is something that everyone tends to take for granted and no one is complaining about. Auto insurance is one of these areas, and if you are surprised then you are probably going to learn something interesting by reading on.
The great gender debate
We all have been there - arguing with our significant others or friends in general about who's a better driver. It's commonly believed that men are better drivers and women are awful at parking. And while this may be true to a point - after all, men are generally better at all things mechanical and moving fast, while women often have reverse parking problems - extrapolating certain traits into general beliefs isn't very bright. In fact, the contrary has been proven by insurance companies years ago and they have all the data to prove that women are better drivers than men. At least, when it comes to safety, women tend to file fewer claims with lower damage figures then men, both absolutely and relatively. And you can't blame it for the number of female drivers, as in some areas the number is equal or there are even more women behind the wheel than men. That's exactly the reason your wife or girlfriend is likely to get lower auto insurance quotes even if you're driving the same car and living under the same roof.
The corelation between gender, age and auto insurance quotes
That's right, women tend to get more affordable auto insurance quotes at all ages when compared to men. Naturally, at younger ages both male and female drivers get the highest quotes because they lack driving experience and skills. And while teenage females will get a slight cut compared to males, this difference will be negligible compared to the overall amount of money paid for the policy. At later stages in life the rates gradually decrease whereas the difference in quotes based on gender becomes more pronounced. But still, this difference will not account for a considerable difference that could be classified discriminatory. Sure, there will be a slight difference that will only get to several percent, yet it still can make some people ask why it's so in the first place. The only reason why is that women file fewer claims than men, none other than that. Just like teens and seniors are faced with higher auto insurance quotes because they generate more claims than middle-age drivers.
What if the inequality is addressed through legislation
For some people this explanation just won't suffice. It may certainly feel as if there was an actual discriminatory policy in action that needs to be lifted. That's exactly what the EU insurance regulation authorities felt like about the gender inequality, feeling the urge to do something about this inequality in their land of ubiquitous equality and tolerance. The resulting act imposed all EU insurance providers to eliminate the gender-affected factors from the quote calculation process and makeauto insurance quotes equal for both sexes. The result? Middle-aged women ended up paying more for auto insurance while teenage men (the riskiest drivers all over the world) - considerably less. Equal? Yes. Fair. That's up to you to decide, but think of what will happen if such a law is passed in the USA. There's a very good example of how this may end up after all and we should definitely learn from it.
