Perth Amboy evening news., 1904-01-19
NOW INSURE WOMEN.
Former Prejudice Of Life Companies
Nc Longer Exists f8
They Are Not Only Considered Good
Risks But Are Making Their
Way ms Solicitors-Grcat
Field Opened.

One OF the last achievements Oh WOIH-
an has been in the insurance field--not
as a worker but as q subject. For along
time women met with every possible re-
bun and Encouragement when they
wanted to insure their lives. Some COM
panies would accept a woman as a risk,
but severe conditions were put on the
policy, says the Chicago Tribune.
A woman was compelled to stand a
physical examination even more rigid
than that undergone by men, and then,
If accepted, was required to pay an ex-
ira premium to cover any fatality h a
might befall her, simply because she was
a woman.
1t has been only within the last year
that these p~rejudices have been thrown
aside by many companies and that the
privilege of insuring them is being
sought.
1t has been discovered that instead OF
being a poor risk woman is a good risk
that she lives longer than man. 1t has
taken SO years to convince many COM
panies of this fact. but now that they
have acknowledged it they are seeking
women as insurance risks.
A tremendous field has been opened
| by this acknowledgment. The great
army of bread winning women, teach
ers, nurses, women in clerical positions
and in other fields of business have be-
| come objects of interest to the insur-
ance man.
mo-" said one Of the officials of an
insurance company, 1--WE, do not insure
a woman usually for the benefit of her
| husband. Our rule is that We ASK the
husband to insure for the benefit of his
| wife at the same time.
1--WE always scrutinize carefully such
cases with regard to character, and
/ there are many conditions and specifica-
| tions. If, however, it Is the wife who has
the income, or If her estate is entailed,
we frequently issue a policy in favor of
the husband. Our company will issue
| policies on women at from 81. 900 up to
the full limit we carry On a single life"
The head of another company said
that any woman who could pass a med
ical examination and who had a suffi-
cient income to guarantee her premiums
would be accepted.
"We have this exception" he said.
For women to insure their lives for the
benefit of their husbands or for a man
to insure the life of his wife for his own
benefit, is still a question with us so far
as the wisdom is concerned.
"These are always cases for the clos
est investigation. If a husband and
wife insure for the benefit of each other
we will issue the two policies.
1--WE have many mothers who take out
15-year policies as a means of educating
their children. If the policy be taken
out at the birth of the child 1t will ma
ture at exactly the right time to do the
most good. Again mothers build up
capital on which a son or daughter can
engage in business"
"Is 1t true that the mortality among
women is considered greater than among
men?" he was asked.
Our past experience" he said, "has
led us to look on them as shorter lived,
but after considering the average and
comparing 1t with that of men we have
placed them on an equality. Women as
a rule cannot pass as satisfactory an ex-
animation as men,"
IF a woman fails to pass the examina-
ton is she told the reason why?" was
| asked.
mo-" said the official. I'VE simply
refer her to her family physician, and
in this manner frequently she is able to
discover some ailment of which she was
ignorant. On the other hand. If she
in the best of health"
1t was explained as one reason for the
hesitancy of companies In taking women
as risks that a moral hazard as we'll as
the physical hazard had to be consid-
cred.
I'VE have naturally grown to look on
men as the breadwinners," said an in
surance man, "and at their death there
is necessarily a family to be taken care
of, but when we find that a woman has
no natural reason for wishing to insure
her life, that there is no one depending
on her, that she Is not a breadwinner, we
investigate her application most thor
oughly.
Should a woman take out an endow-
ment policy there is no much else to
consider. She does 1t as a money invest
ment or as assurance for old age. The
only specification enforced here is that
she shall pass the examination.
This being taken into consideration
we will insure a woman as readily as a
man. No company, if it could insure
100, 900 as Unfortunately as
men, would refuse them. They would
be glad to get them, but unfortunately
so far this seems impossible.
Ordinarily we DO not accept such
large risks on women as on men. If we
were satisfied that a woman was a safe
risk, If she were a woman of Independent
property, we would make no objection
then"
Retort Courteous.
"Sir," said the angry poet. who had
uoieead orofhor nunnrfunitv m hrooIr