There are a million things that can affect longevity: where you live, your genes, your diet, and that’s just to start. One thing that seems to be nearly universal across most of the world’s population, however, is that women tend to live longer than men.
Life expectancy grew for all genders in the 20th century, but it did so for women more than men. Back in the 1800s, the high prevalence of disease meant that you were at risk of cholera, typhoid or any number of other potentially fatal conditions regardless of gender. Improvements in medicine and public health meant that everyone could live longer, but women seemed to benefit more.
In some cases, differences in longevity due to gender can be easily explained. Women are more at risk because of pregnancy and childbirth (although this risk has significantly dropped in recent years). Men are more likely to be employed in dangerous jobs, such as the military or heavy manual labor, or be exposed to violence. This doesn’t entirely explain the scale of the difference, however.
One theory is that these differences in longevity are related to differences in chromosomes. You probably know that women have XX chromosomes and men have XY. Other theories look at hormones and the tendency for women to have higher levels of estrogen and men to have higher levels of testosterone. This may impact heart health.
It may not all be biological. Some of it may come from attitudes and stereotypes. Women are more likely to go to the doctor than men and therefore receive treatment more quickly. Old-fashioned ideas about masculinity can lead men to avoid asking for help until it’s too late. They’re also less likely to have a network of supportive people they can rely on in times of frailty.
Of course, living longer in itself isn’t always a good thing. The fact that women have a longer life expectancy may also mean that they spend more time suffering from diseases of age. The physical and mental decline associated with growing older, from arthritis to dementia, means that length of life doesn’t always represent quality of life.
We don’t know exactly what causes the gender divide between men and women when it comes to longevity, but it seems it’s a combination of biological, environmental and social factors. All of these need to be considered when managing health.
