Life Expectancy by Gender

The purpose of this paper is to explore gender differences in life expectancy. Specifically, the exploration will attempt to answer the following question: Why, on average, do men die at younger ages than do women? Fraser (2003) attributed increased longevity to a vegetarian diet. He reported, however, that even among vegetarians the gender difference favoring women still applies. Di Giilio (2007) noted that the differences in longevity between men and women are attributable to a mix of "biological factors" and to "behavioral factors" (p. 31). With respect to the many hypotheses that have been advanced to determine where the primary causes lie, however, Di Giilio (2007) reported that no "firm conclusions" have been drawn (p. 31). Statistical data support the conventional wisdom that women live longer than men do (Watkins, 2006). The validation of causal factors that explain this phenomenon, however, is a less than certain process (Emslie & Hunt, 2008).

Peer-reviewed journal articles that deal with the issue of gender and life expectancy were reviewed. The reviewed articles were published during the inclusive period 2003-2008. The findings of the reviewed articles are summarized in the remainder of this paper as a means of providing insights into possible causes of gender differences in life expectancy.

Exploration of Explanations for Gender-Related Variations in Life Expectancy

While life expectancy varies substantially

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, however, do not provide a strong justification of why respiratory deterioration should occur more rapidly in men than it does among women. The Effect of War Pl�mper and Neumayer (2006) argued that the phenomenon of war is a major cause of the gender-related variance in life expectancy. The contention is that the "burden of war" falls unequally on men and women (Plumper & Neumayer, 2006, p. 723). The contention is that, as mean shoulder the major burden of war, mortality induced by war is greater among men than it is among women. Further, war-related mortality occurs primarily at younger ages, as opposed to older ages. Thus, the effects on the gender-related variance in life expectancy between men and women are (a) substantial and (b) favor women. Plumper and Neumayer (2006) acknowledge that the effects of war on women are significant. They argue, however, that the effects of war on women are indirect in nature, as opposed to the direct nature of the effects of war on men. Mortality associated with war, thus, typically occurs at younger ages than is the case among women. Discussion of the Causal Factors The factor of chronic diseases as an explanation for the gender-related varianc

Category: Medical - L