48 percent more women than men registered applications for Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA) last year, with over 350,000 registered by women, compared to 238,000 by men, according to UK private client law firm Wilsons.

LPAs allow individuals to pass on the legal responsibility for making financial decisions on their behalf, in case of loss of mental capacity.

Wilsons said that a key driver for more women registering LPAs is that women tend to live longer than men. Therefore, there are likely to be more elderly women who will need to rely on friends or family for help with finances and other legal documentation in their late...