Why Do Women Have Longer Lives 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. Why do women live so more than men do today and why is this difference growing over time? The evidence isn't conclusive and we only have limited solutions. While we are aware that there are behavioral, biological as well as environmental factors that play an integral role in the longevity of women over males, we aren't sure what percentage each factor plays in.

Independently of the exact amount of weight, we are aware that at least part of the reason why women live longer than men in the present and not previously, is to do with the fact that some important non-biological aspects have changed. What are the factors that are changing? Some are well known and relatively straightforward, like the fact that men smoke more often. Others are more complex. 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 every country is above the line of parity diagonally. This implies that a baby girl from any country can anticipate to live longer than her younger brother.

It is interesting to note that the advantage of women exists everywhere, the difference between countries is huge. In Russia women are 10 years older than men; in Bhutan the difference is just half a year.

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In rich countries the advantage of women in longevity used to be smaller
Let's examine the way that female advantages in longevity has changed with time. The chart below illustrates the male and female life expectancy at the birth in the US during the period 1790 until 2014. Two things stand out.

First, there is an upward trend. Men and women in America live longer than they used to a century ago. This is in line with historical increases in life expectancy everywhere in the world.

The second is that there is an increasing gap: The female advantage in terms of life expectancy used to be very small, علامات الحمل بولد [relevant website] but it grew substantially over the course of the last century.

It is possible to verify that the points you've listed are applicable to other countries with information by clicking on the "Change country" option in the chart. This includes the UK, France, علامات الحمل بولد and Sweden.