MEPs have voted to adopt legislation that will force insurance companies to stop using gender as a basis for calculating risk and premiums.
The draft Directive is based on Article 13 of the EC Treaty, which gives the European Council the power to take measures to combat all forms of discrimination.
The legislation, which will implement the principle of equal treatment of men and women in the provision of services and goods, is aimed primarily at the insurance and private pension industries, said the European Parliament.
MEPs in the committee on women's rights and equal opportunities adopted a consultative report on the subject by 29 votes to 3 with no abstentions.
The committee proposed only minor changes to the Directive, it said, including shortening the transition period for implementation from six years to four.
The Directive is expected to reduce the premiums women pay for life insurance and pensions, where they are seen as a higher risk due to a longer lifespan, but to increase the premiums paid for car insurance where women are seen as a lower risk than men.
