Image Credit: SUBMITTED

OPINION

It’s a fact…women live longer than men. In Canada, a woman can expect to live 84 years…men, just over 79 years…five fewer years. In the U.S., both men and women can expect a life four years shorter…80 and 75, respectively.

This female-male longevity gap holds regardless of where folks live…or how much money they make. The differences in life expectancy for men and women are similar in Europe and Asia and Africa…even during pandemics and famines. Everywhere…women outlive men.

Females outlive males not just in humans…but among most mammals, as well. Curious, eh? The tens of thousands of YouTube videos showing men attempting some kind of ridiculous “hold my beer” feat, notwithstanding, there is a cluster of real reasons women live longer.

Genetics plays a part…we just don't know exactly how. The XX set of female sex chromosomes might affect longevity…but more research is needed. In 2018, a study of mice with different combinations of sex chromosomes and reproductive organs showed that mice with two X chromosomes and ovaries lived longer than mice with two X chromosomes and testes…and both lived longer than mice with XY chromosomes.

(DON THOMPSON / iNFOnews.ca)

Something about the second X chromosome seemed to make those mice live longer. There hasn’t been a human study, but scientists claim that we have similar hormones, sex chromosomes and reproductive systems…so the findings could well be similar in people.

Scientists are trying to find out how hormones affect longevity. Estrogen tends to make women’s immune systems stronger than men…making them less susceptible to infections. Multiple infections could contribute to shortening the life spans of men. Also, more men than women die of sepsis.

Differences in how men and women live…lifestyles…certainly affect longevity. Men use tobacco more heavily than women, and drink more alcohol…both of which contribute to mortality.

Of course, there’s some truth to my earlier “hold my beer” joke…men indulge in riskier behaviour that women…more dangerous sports, hobbies and interests, which affects mortality. Also, men are from three to five times more likely than women to commit suicide…and suffer more drug overdoses.

Women are more likely than men to practice healthier lifestyles and making safer choices…everything from getting annual medical check-ups to wearing seatbelts in vehicles.

Men are more likely to die in combat situations and from gun violence, in general. Also, researchers discovered in the COVID-19 pandemic that men died at higher rates. Some 42,933,757 women and 40,187,894 men tested for COVID in 73 countries…but 1,274,663 men and 971,899 women died from it, according to the World Health Organization.

Another fact about the differences between women and men is that even though women live longer than men on average, in general, they experience more illness and disability throughout their lives, according to research reported by The Lancet.

Men experience more fatal health conditions…cancer, cardiovascular disease and accidents, for example. But women experience more issues that cause disabilities like Alzheimer's disease, migraine headaches and depressive disorders. In other words, women aren’t as likely to live as many good health years as men.

The truth is women live longer than men for all of the reasons mentioned here…and more. Researchers now need to determine how these various factors and others contribute to mortality. Like so many things in nature…we know it is a fact that women live longer…we just don’t know why. And can women live longer with more healthy years?

Is it possible to reduce the four- or five-year mortality gap between men and women…and give everyone healthy lives? Yes, but scientists have much more work to do. On the other hand, extending life in good health seems like a noble goal.

— Don Thompson, an American awaiting Canadian citizenship, lives in Vernon and in Florida. In a career that spans more than 40 years, Don has been a working journalist, a speechwriter and the CEO of an advertising and public relations firm. A passionate and compassionate man, he loves the written word as much as fine dinners with great wines.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor.

News from © iNFOnews, 2025