A recent investigation into longevity data by The Washington Post revealed that a gap exists between the lifespans of men and women at every phase of life.
Moreover, this is a global phenomenon, with some variance due to geopolitical factors such as war or poverty.
In the United States, women’s life expectancy was 79.1 years in 2021 compared to 73.2 years for men, per the CDC. This represents the largest longevity gap seen in a quarter-century.
Some other startling statistics can be seen in how the two sexes are impacted by some of the country’s leading causes of death.
Death rates from a heart attack were nearly three times higher among men than women, per the American Heart Association.
The cancer mortality rate is also higher among men, with 189.5 deaths per 100,000 compared to 135.7 per 100,000 seen among women, per the National Cancer Institute.
Men also see higher fatalities related to diabetes than women, with 31.2 per 100,000 compared to 19.5 per 100,000 logged, respectively, per Kaiser Family Foundation.
The prevalence of being overweight — a leading risk factor in developing diabetes — is higher among men, with one in three being overweight, compared to women, with one in four being overweight, per the National Institutes of Health. This mirrors obesity rates, which are 43% for men and 41.9% for women.
Obesity leads to a heightened risk of acquiring an array of health problems, including heart disease, stroke, and cancer, as The Dallas Express has reported.
At the same time, it is unclear whether these differences are enough to account for the discrepancies noted in men’s and women’s health.
As Derek Griffith, the director of Georgetown University’s Center for Men’s Health Equity, told the WP, the matter merits greater scrutiny and has widespread effects.
“We tend not to prioritize men’s health, but it needs unique attention, and it has implications for the rest of the family. It means other members of the family, including women and children, also suffer,” Griffith argued, per the WP.
The longevity gap between the sexes may partly be rooted in cultural or behavioral factors.
Marianne J. Legato, a physician who started the Foundation for Gender-Specific Medicine in New York, suggested to the WP that cultural norms could contribute to adverse health outcomes, noting, “Men are socially programmed to not complain.”
Indeed, data suggest men are statistically less likely to seek medical help: In 2018, women visited the doctor almost 40% more than men, per the CDC.
With regards to suicide, men are nearly four times more likely to kill themselves than women, per the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
Males may also partake in riskier behavior than females. In a study of death rates caused by injury for males and females aged 10 to 19, males logged 44.5 per 100,000 compared to half as many — 21.3 per 100,000 — among females, per the CDC.
But Griffith warned that attributing the discrepancy primarily to behavioral differences could be harmful.
“It’s hard to convince people that men’s health is an issue if we think it’s just because men don’t do what they’re supposed to do,” Griffith said, per the WP.
Moreover, these factors would not explain the higher mortality rates for male infants (5.87 per 1,000 live births) compared to female infants (4.95 per 1,000).
Biological differences between the sexes may also reveal part of the answer.
Specifically, studies suggest that elevated levels of testosterone can impair immune responses.
This might help explain why researchers found that men are more susceptible to bacterial, fungal, viral, and parasitic infections than women.
Furthermore, estrogen could be part of why heart disease rates are lower among women throughout their lifespans and why this gap lessens after women reach menopause.
One study found that giving post-menopausal women estrogen reduced their likelihood of cardiovascular disease by up to 40%.
What the investigation by the WP suggested above all is the need for further research into men’s health.
Although certain healthcare systems may claim to have dedicated departments for men’s health, the care provided frequently concentrates on urologic and prostate health rather than addressing other ailments that affect men disproportionately, per the WP.
Some men would argue that the reason men die earlier than women is because they are married.
Their wives would say that the reason men die earlier than women is because they tell corny jokes.