Women are putting themselves and their families at risk by not taking out life insurance, it has been claimed. A recent study by Axa Life found that less than half of the women they questioned had life insurance, just 36%, while the number of those with critical illness cover stood at 18%. Insurance experts are warning that women who fail to take out life insurance are putting themselves in a dangerous position. With unemployment on the rise, and the increase in the number of single parent families in the UK, women are often the main breadwinner in a household. For this reason, it’s imperative they have adequate life insurance. The poll also discovered that the females who have taken out cover seriously undervalue their worth. On average women are covered themselves for £90,000 for life insurance, and £80,000 for critical illness. It emerged that one of the main reasons females hadn’t take out life cover is because they simply hadn’t thought about it, while others said they thought their partners insurance was adequate, or they felt they didn’t need it or that it was too expensive. With women now taking on a vital role in terms of a family’s income, it’s more vital than ever that they are adequately covered with life and critical illness cover.