It is at present legal to offer different annuity rates to men and women, but, following a court case last year, it is likely that it will become unlawful to discriminate in this way before the end of 2012 .
At present, women may find it more expensive to buy the same pension as a man, as women tend to live longer. However, factors such as whether or not you smoke, and where you live, will make more of a difference to the price than whether you are male or female.
