Part of our guide: Long-Term Care Insurance: Costs, Options and Planning →
Women are more likely to need long-term care, more likely to lack a spousal caregiver, and more likely to have already spent years caring for someone else. That combination makes them one of the most underserved conversations in your LTC book.
Key takeaways
- Women are statistically more likely to need long-term care and less likely to have a spousal caregiver already in place.
- Many female clients have already served as a caregiver themselves, which makes the conversation about their own future care more concrete, not more abstract.
- LTC coverage protects both the client’s assets and their choice of care setting, including staying at home.
70% of people over age 65 will need help with daily living due to a physical or cognitive impairment — and women’s longer life expectancy raises that risk further.
The numbers behind the opportunity
Roughly 70% of people over age 65 will require assistance due to a physical or cognitive impairment. Women’s life expectancy of 83.1 years raises their odds of needing care even further, since longer life expectancy correlates directly with a higher chance of eventually needing long-term care.
Why women face this differently than men
Many women have already spent years as an informal caregiver — for a parent, spouse, sibling, or friend — which shapes how they think about their own future care needs. Women who are single, divorced, or widowed face this gap even more directly, since they don’t have a built-in spousal caregiver the way some clients do.
What planning ahead actually protects
A long-term care plan protects a client’s assets from being drawn down by the cost of care, and it expands where that care can happen — including staying in the comfort of their own home rather than being limited to a facility.
Frequently asked questions
Why are women statistically more likely to need long-term care than men?
Longer life expectancy is the biggest factor — women average 83.1 years, and the longer someone lives, the higher the odds they’ll eventually need assistance with daily living.
Does long-term care insurance only cover nursing home care?
No. Coverage can extend to a variety of settings, including in-home care, which is often the setting clients prefer most.
Reviewed by Tim Fuller on 2026-09-25
Tim Fuller
President, SRS Inc.
Tim leads SRS Inc., a full-service IMO (Independent Marketing Organization) and BGA (Brokerage General Agency), connecting independent financial professionals with life, annuity, disability income, and long-term care solutions from 60+ carrier partners.
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