The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-06-19
INSURANCE FOR a.
A Question Much Discussed in Insurance
CircIes-Good and Bad Risks.

New York Mail and Express.
Woman is as much a subject of discus
sion In life insurance circles at the present
time as she is in politics, and the suffrage
question is no greater a problem than
the question of issuing policies upon her
precious life. The general policy now of
the insurance companies is to issue these
valuable certificates.
This question of insuring women is one
of the most perplexing that the companies
have ever had to deal with, and a canvass
Of the different insurance companies shows
that there are hardly two or three which
agree upon the subject. They range from
those which will not insure women at any
price to those which will take them at
the same terms as men, with a long in
termediate list comprising those that de-
mand extra rates and impose many limita-
tions as to age. etc.
Until recently the restrictions upon
women's insurance were very severe, and
few companies cared about insuring them
at all. They were what is known as
moral risks there being a very we'll
established idea that in a great many
cases a man would have his wife insured
for the sole purpose of killing her and col
lecting the insurance money. These cases
were not at all uncommon years ago, and
occur even at the present time.
But the prejudice is not nearly so strong
nowadays and the terms of insurance are
much more liberal. and some companies
even solicit female risks, and have gone SO
far as TO appoint women agents and exam
lining physicians. One peculiar thing APP
parent from investigation Is the wide diff
ference of opinion OF the medical men con-
nected with the different insurance COM
panies as to the age when the risk on a
woman's life ceases TO be great and the
premium is correspondingiy reduced.
The companies which charge s. a thou
sand extra for women vary as to the age
at which this shall cease from forty-five
to ffty-five years. An insurance agent.
! Speaking on this point, said to a reporter:
1.-The variance of medical inspectors on this
point is really remarkable, and II would be
| interesting to get them together and see
how long it would take them to agree upon
a limit
Some companies insure women on the ten.
fifteen or twenty-year endowment plan,
which is an expensive one. Besides these
there are companies which hide their I'M
willingness TO insure women under the
surable interest" others that Will only in
sure women with families. and others which
Some companies will not ins ire women at
all, but these are few.
A well-known insurance man, when asked
by a reporter about the peculiarities of
women's Insurance.. said: The problem OF
insuring the lives of women has been a
very serious and perplexing one. and in my
4 DiIllO OdcEd jill lhl w (tAOt -
that we would be better off to-day il we
had never taken any female risks. But this
sort of risk has been treated with a great
! deal more liebrality recently, and. VIE hope,
will prove much more profitable.
One OF the chief difficulties in the way of
ipsuring women. apart from the disinclina-
ton of companies TO accept them as risks.
is the unwiiiingness of the women to sub
init to the regular medical examination
which all men are subjected TO.
1T is very difficult to get them TO submit
TO this, and yet il is absolutely necessary,
for a woman cannot be depended upon to
give truthful answers to the questions OF
the medical officers. That is really the
chief reason why more women are not in
sured. On the other hand, the old prejudice
that a brutal husband will murder his wife
for the Insurance., or at least by brutal
treatment worry her TO death. still exists 20
a certain extent. The change in the woman
question has been gradual, but its present
status has only been established. A Phila-
them at the same rate as men and 10 engage
female examiners. There are one or two
others that take them at the same rates.
and within a week a local company has APP
pointed female agents. Now most compa-
MES insure women under certain ~restric-
tons, but for an amount rarely exceeding
$le.eo.
There are some women who are really
very desirable as risks. and / would De onl,
too glad TO have them for a very large
amount. They are those who have large es-
! tate interests. upon which they receive q