Good Question: Why Do Women Outlive Men?
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - The CDC reports the newest life expectancy numbers in the United States are at an all-time record high – 78.8 years.
The authors of the study also found the life expectancy was 81.2 years for women but just 76.4 years for men – a gap of 4.8 years, the same as 2011.
Since the early 1900s, American women have consistently outlived American men by between three to seven years.
So, why is that? Good Question.
"The answer is we truly don't know why women outlive men, but what we do know is that women tend to be more resilient than men," Dr. Robert Kane, the director of the Center on Aging at the University of Minnesota, said. "It must be something in their physiological make-up and perhaps their psychological make-up that allows them to deal with stress better than men."
Kane said that how men and women handle stress differently may have something to do with their metabolism. He said that difference can have an impact on life expectancy.
A generation ago, some believed it was men's jobs that were putting them in an early grave, but that turned out not to be the case. Kane said studies show men became more stressed than women when more women entered the workforce.
"Stress is an important factor, but it's not as big as smoking or exercise," he said.
He said women have better diets and lower rates of obesity, but men are more likely to exercise. He also suggests women's adaptability at making new friends can contribute to longer lives.
"You put a man in a room of strangers, and they'll just stand by a wall and never say a word, whereas women will interact and form new networks," he said.
Some have suggested younger men's higher likelihood to engage in risky behavior has an impact on the life expectancy gender gap.
According to the CDC, the No. 1 cause of death for all people under age 34 is unintentional injury, followed by suicide and homicide – all of which are more common with males.
But Kane said the relatively small numbers of young people who die wouldn't make a large difference in the overall rates.
Heart disease, the No. 1 killer for men and women overall, also makes a big impact on the gender gap. Women are more likely to develop heart disease later than men.
"It's not an easy puzzle to work out," Kane said.
