Men set to lose £10,000 in pension rule change Over the course of a 17-year retirement, this will add up to £10,000, the company said. Raj Mody, the head of pensions consulting at PwC, said that, although a small number of women stand to gain from the change, the vast majority of annuities in Britain are bought by men. He said: "While a small number of women will be better off from the ruling, eight out of 10 annuities currently sold in the UK are bought by men, so many more people risk losing out than gaining. Women who are beneficiaries of joint life annuities purchased by their male partner will also be affected as they will end up with a lower income. When the European Court of Justice announced the changes last year the Government expressed "disappointment" at the ruling and said that it would have a negative impact on consumers. Despite its objections, the Government said that it had an "obligation" to implement the European Court judgment into UK law. As well as affecting pensioners, the change in gender laws will hit motorists. According to uSwitch.com, the price comparison website, female drivers aged between 17 and 25 will be hardest hit. Although they tend to be safer drivers than men of the same age the new rules mean they will no longer be able to benefit from their care on the road. Young women could see car insurance premiums almost double, experts said. Uswitch.com said the rules could force a quarter of women drivers off the road as they will not be able to afford insurance. The website added that a third of drivers were unaware of the change in the law. Philippe Guijarro, a life insurance partner at PwC, said that insurance firms will start looking at other ways of offering safe drivers better insurance deals, such as using regional accident data. The Association of British Insurers said it has fought against the gender ruling for almost a decade. A spokesman said that insurance firms will "continue to look at other relevant risk factors to ensure consumers benefit from the most competitively priced insurance."