Age and gender play a decisive role in the marital status of customers taking out equity release on a single life basis, new research from Pure Retirement suggests.
Analysis of new initial lifetime mortgage loans completed during 2025 shows that 42% of single life customers were unmarried, up from 36% in 2024. A further 35% were divorced, while 19% were widowed.
The lender’s data highlights notable differences when broken down by age and gender. Among men aged under 65, more than half of single life applicants were unmarried, accounting for 52% of new business. This compares with 37% among women in the same age group, a gap of 15 percentage points.
Women under 65 were more likely to be divorced or widowed. In this cohort, 38% of women taking out a single life lifetime mortgage were divorced, compared with 28% of men. Widowhood also accounted for a higher proportion among women, at 21%, versus 16% of men.
At the other end of the age spectrum, widowhood was the dominant marital status among single life applicants aged over 80. Among women in this age group, 60% of new single life plans were taken out by widows, with the equivalent figure for men standing at 58%.
Men over 80 remained more likely to be unmarried, representing 21% of new single life customers, compared with 14% of women. Women in this age band were more likely to be divorced, at 25%, compared with 17% of men.
The findings point to differing financial pressures faced by men and women later in life. The data suggests a cohort of unmarried men approaching retirement who may be more exposed to rising living costs without a partner to share expenses.
Among women, the figures indicate a higher likelihood of reduced income in later life, particularly following divorce or the death of a spouse, as assets are drawn down over time.
Scott Burman, head of distribution at Pure Retirement, said: “While the majority of new lifetime mortgages are taken out on a joint lives’ basis, it’s nonetheless important to understand the dynamic customer profiles among single life applicants too and our latest figures show the extent to which age and gender can affect the proportion of new plans being taken out by unmarried, divorced and widowed individuals.
“However, what our data consistently shows is that people either approaching retirement, or who are in the midst of their later years, are increasingly feeling the pinch of years of cost of living rises as single households.
“Housing equity is meeting a very real societal need for this demographic, strengthening its position as a mainstream financial planning tool for over-55s, but also one that consumers are comfortable and confident in using to achieve their financial goals.”
