Why Do Women Live Longer Than Men

Everywhere in the world women live longer than men - but this was not always the case. The available data from rich countries shows that women didn't live longer than men in the 19th century. What is the reason women live more than men do today, and why has this advantage increased over time? There is only limited evidence and the evidence is not sufficient to reach a definitive conclusion. While we are aware that there are biological, صبغ الشعر بالاسود behavioral, and environmental factors that all play a role in women's longevity more than males, we aren't sure what percentage each factor plays in.

In spite of the precise amount, we can say that a large portion of the reason women live so much longer than men but not in the past, is to have to do with the fact that several significant non-biological elements have changed. These variables are evolving. Some are well known and relatively straightforward, like the fact that men smoke more often. There are others that are more intricate. For example, there is evidence that in rich countries the female advantage increased in part because infectious diseases used to affect women disproportionately a century ago, so advances in medicine that reduced the long-term health burden from infectious diseases, especially for survivors, ended up raising women's longevity disproportionately.

Everywhere in the world women tend to live longer than men
The first chart below shows life expectancy at birth for men and women. It is clear that all countries are over the line of parity diagonally. This implies that a baby girl in all countries can expect to live longer than her brother.

It is interesting to note that although the female advantage exists across all countries, the country-specific differences are huge. In Russia women live 10 years longer than males. In Bhutan the gap is less that half a year.

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The advantage women had in terms of life expectancy was lower in the richer countries that it is today.
Let's examine how the gender advantage in longevity has changed with time. The next chart shows male and female life expectancy at birth in the US during the time period between 1790 and 2014. Two distinct features stand out.

The first is that there is an upward trend. Men as well as women in the US have a much longer life span longer than they did a century ago. This is in line with historical increases in life expectancy everywhere in the world.

Second, the gap is growing: Although the female advantage in terms of life expectancy was quite small, صبغ الشعر بالاسود it has increased substantially over time.

If you select the option "Change country by country' in the chart, you can determine if these two points are also applicable to other countries with available information: Sweden, France and the UK.