The gender gap: why do women live longer than men?

Are men aging as oaks and women as reeds? A behavioral hypothesis to explain the gender paradox of French centenarians

Since the 1990s, several studies involving French centenarians have shown a gender paradox in old age. Even if women are more numerous in old age and live longer than men, men are in better physical and cognitive health, are higher functioning, and have superior vision. If better health should lead to a longer life, why are men not living longer than women? This paper proposes a hypothesis based on the differences in the generational habitus between men and women who were born at the beginning of the 20th century. The concept of generational habitus combines the generation theory of Mannheim with the habitus concept of Bourdieu based on the observation that there exists a way of being, thinking, and doing for each generation. We hypothesized that this habitus still influences many gender-linked behaviours in old age. Men, as "oaks," seem able to delay the afflictions of old age until a breaking point, while women, as "reeds," seem able to survive despite an accumulation of health deficits.

[Trends of mortality from cerebrovascular disease in the State of São Paulo: 1970 to 1989]

AIM

description of proportional mortality and death rates by Stroke in adult population (20 years of age or older) of São Paulo State, Brazil.

METHODS

the deaths were obtained from the statistical official bureau; the population data were based in the Federal Census (1970, 1980 and 1991); all trends whose the slope was significantly greater than zero had a calculation of the decline per year.

RESULTS

proportional mortality for Stroke decreased for males (M) (-11.40%) and increased for females (F) (+7.58%); Stroke in all cardiovascular diseases showed increase in both sexes, +8.65% (M) and +3.12% (F); Stroke age-adjusted death rates declined 1.19% (M) per year and 1.76% (F) per year between 1970 and 1989; the ages whose decline was more important were those 60-years-old of age or older (M) and 40-years-old or older (F); the male/female sex ratio increased during the observed years (22% in 1970 to 45%) due to the change in the 50-59 age strata (36% in 1970 to 69% in 1989).

CONCLUSION

the fall of the Stroke deaths rates could be due to increase in the detection and control of hypertension; other factors such as improve in death certification, decline of Chagasic myocarditis, new image-diagnostic tests and medical care had maybe only a secondary play in the decline of stroke mortality.