Women with mortgages are more likely than men to struggle if their income stops, research from LifeSearch and HomeOwners Alliance found.
14% of women said they would fall behind on payments straight away if they lost their income due to illness or injury, compared to 6% of men.
After two months, 27% of women said they would be in difficulty, compared to 14% of men.
At the six-month mark, over half of women (51%) would be struggling, compared to 39% of men.
Women said they would take a range of steps to keep up with payments.
30% said they would ask their lender for a mortgage holiday, while 20% of men said the same.
23% of women said they would try to take on extra work or side jobs, compared to 15% of men.
Borrowing from friends or family was an option for 22% of women and 16% of men.
Many women also said they would cut back on non-essential spending.
The research also found that women were less likely than men to have insurance in place.
55% of women with mortgages said they had some kind of cover, compared to 62% of men.
Less than half (49%) of women said they held life insurance, while 18% had critical illness cover and only 13% had income protection.
Debbie Kennedy, CEO at LifeSearch, said: “Women show incredible resilience when faced with financial shocks – but resilience alone isn’t enough.
“Many women juggle part-time work, career breaks or caring responsibilities, which often makes their income more vulnerable to disruption.
“Yet these same realities can make protection feel less relevant or harder to access.”
Kennedy added: “Too often, women are navigating these risks without the cover they need or the clear information to make confident decisions.
“As an industry, we have a responsibility to make protection simpler, more inclusive and better tailored to the way many women really work and live.”
Paula Higgins, CEO at HomeOwners Alliance, said: “Buying a home should offer security, but for many women that security could quickly unravel if their income is disrupted.
“Women often show remarkable resilience in trying to keep their finances on track, whether by cutting back, taking on extra work or calling on family support, but even so, a short period out of work can place enormous strain on household finances.
“It’s crucial that we better recognise these pressures and ensure homeowners have the support they need to stay financially stable when life takes an unexpected turn.”
