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 makes women live longer than men in the present and why has this advantage increased over time? We only have partial evidence and the evidence is not sufficient to reach an informed conclusion. We are aware that behavioral, biological and environmental factors contribute to the fact that women live longer than men; however, we aren't sure how strong the relative contribution of each of these factors is.
In spite of the precise amount, we can say that at a minimum, the reason women live longer than men but not in the past, is to relate to the fact that several key non-biological factors have changed. What are these changing factors? 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. We can see that every country is above the diagonal parity line - it means that in all nations the newborn girl is likely to live for longer than a newborn boy.1
This chart is interesting in that it shows that while the female advantage exists across all countries, the global differences are significant. In Russia women have an average of 10 years more than men, while in Bhutan the difference is just half a year.
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The advantage women had in life expectancy was less in developed countries than it is now.
We will now examine how the gender advantage in longevity has changed with time. The next chart shows the life expectancy of males and females at birth in the US between 1790 and 2014. Two aspects stand out.
First, علامات الحمل بولد there is an upward trend. Men and women living in America are living longer than they were 100 years ago. This is in line with historical increases in life expectancy everywhere in the world.
And second, there is a widening gap: The female advantage in terms of life expectancy used be quite small however, it has increased significantly in the past century.
If you select the option "Change country' on the chart, confirm that the two points also apply to other countries with available information: Sweden, France and the UK.
In spite of the precise amount, we can say that at a minimum, the reason women live longer than men but not in the past, is to relate to the fact that several key non-biological factors have changed. What are these changing factors? 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. We can see that every country is above the diagonal parity line - it means that in all nations the newborn girl is likely to live for longer than a newborn boy.1
This chart is interesting in that it shows that while the female advantage exists across all countries, the global differences are significant. In Russia women have an average of 10 years more than men, while in Bhutan the difference is just half a year.
__S.17__
__S.19__
The advantage women had in life expectancy was less in developed countries than it is now.
We will now examine how the gender advantage in longevity has changed with time. The next chart shows the life expectancy of males and females at birth in the US between 1790 and 2014. Two aspects stand out.
First, علامات الحمل بولد there is an upward trend. Men and women living in America are living longer than they were 100 years ago. This is in line with historical increases in life expectancy everywhere in the world.
And second, there is a widening gap: The female advantage in terms of life expectancy used be quite small however, it has increased significantly in the past century.
If you select the option "Change country' on the chart, confirm that the two points also apply to other countries with available information: Sweden, France and the UK.