The World Health Organization (WHO) is committed to the well-being of the world's population. WHO is currently addressing the issue of why men all over the world die earlier than women. Concrete conclusions were drawn from a global study.
Differences in Life Span
In industrialized countries, the difference in life expectancy has clearly increased over the past 100 years. So, at the turn of the century, men lived on average up to 45 years, women - up to 48 years.
Although differences in life expectancy and morbidity become apparent in old age, their roots are already earlier. An analysis of a group of diseases can better illustrate these relationships. Diseases of the cardiovascular system are, of course, the main cause of death in industrialized countries.
Typical clinical signs are myocardial infarction, heart failure, and stroke. A simple analysis of the data shows that men die much more often from cardiovascular diseases than women. In a recent study, WHO reports that significantly more boys are born each year than girls.
Health and life expectancy still depend on gender and social situation. The average life expectancy of men is 4.4 years.
The motto of World Health Day 2019 is “Health for All!” Health trends are constantly changing, as are health systems. In 2019, 140.7 million children will be born worldwide based on current mortality risks. Boys will live on average 69.8 years, girls 74.2 years, the difference is 4.4 years.
Progress is being observed all over the world: from 2000 to 2016, the total life expectancy increased by 5.5 years - from 66.5 to 72 years. Similarly, the average life expectancy in health care increased from 58.5 to 63.3 years.
In 2016, an equal number of men and women lived around the world between the ages of 50 and 54. Since then, men go downhill. In the age group of 75 to 79 years, only 80% live as many men as women.
Biological and social factors as a cause
Biological and non-biological factors play a role in the difference between life expectancy. How strongly individual causes affect life expectancy, however, is unclear.
There is some evidence that the second X chromosome helps women live longer, but there is no scientific evidence to support this. The same applies to the theory that different levels of hormones affect life expectancy in favor of women.
It is more clear how lifestyle affects the risk of death. The average man drinks more alcohol than a woman, smokes more cigarettes, eats unhealthy and is more likely to be involved in traffic accidents.
Men pay less attention to their health, are less likely to undergo examinations. Therefore, Matthias Stichler of the German Society for Human and Health recommends that men be wary of their bodies.
Testosterone is one of the reasons that men often behave more aggressively and risky.
Nevertheless, social expectations and constant role models also have a role to play.
Men learn early that they must meet certain expectations. One of the consequences of this is that they see the body as a tool.
Monastic research: monks live as long as nuns
In a recent study, data on the lives of 9,980 monks and nuns were studied. The clergy came mainly from Bavarian monasteries and mainly lived in the 20th century. The monks lived longer than their fellow men outside the monastery.
In the monastery, the difference decreased by only a year, men lived shorter. Biological differences seem to play only a minor role. What is commonplace in monasteries does not occur in the rest of society.
Nevertheless, it remains doubtful whether men will ever be able to catch up with women. With the help of their wives, they can slightly improve the duration of their personal lives. Married men live on average longer than unmarried men.
