It’s one of the most stunning biological facts: Women, throughout the world and regardless of factor, tend to outlive men. As the BBC’s David Robson writes:

In 1800, life expectancy at birth was 33 years for women and 31 years for men; today it is 83.5 years and 79.5 years, respectively. In both cases, women live about 5% longer than men.

You can explore the potential scientific and biological reasons for this in Robson’s article, but from a will planning and estate planning standpoint, it brings up an important point: Women, on average, are the ones who have to more often work through the details of an estate plan.

But incredibly, according to this 2014 Forbes article, 51% of Americans ages 51 to 64 don’t have a will. That’s a lot of potential heartbreak if state laws have to determine what happens to everything the deceased leaves behind (and what everyone has to work through – including probate – in the absence of a will).

Put the two numbers together, and the notion of women having a bit more of a vested interest in checking “Create estate plan” off the family’s to-do list makes perfect sense.

Many people have had the unfortunate experience of struggling to take care of a parent who has lost a spouse. But without proper planning, it can be made more stressful – and lonely – for those involved when there is no provision spelled out. With changes to the tax code, brackets, and maximum limits on the rise, having an estate planning attorney take a look through any needed changes on your documents – or create your initial plan – is the safest best you can make.