We have all heard it before: women live longer than men. Some may wonder if this is true, and yes, it is very true. In fact, it is true all around the world- not just in the United States of America. Here are some statistics from around the world, in regards to health expectancy of women and men from various countries:
? The United States of America: Men live to 75.6 years of age, women live to 80.8 years of age on average.
? Japan: Men live to 79 years of age, women live to 86.1 years of age on average.
? Singapore: Men live to 70 years of age, women live to 83 years of age on average.
? Mexico: Men live to 73.7 years of age, women live to 78.6 years of age on average.
? Ethiopia: Men live to 51.7 years of age, women live to 54.3 years of age on average.
So, obviously, as you can see, women live longer than men in pretty much every single country in the world no matter the hardships and difficulties contained within the country and culture of that country. The average life expectancy has a very large range, in which Japan has the highest, and many African countries have the lowest (in which the average life expectancy is in the late 30’s and early 40’s.) In the end, women just statistically live longer than males. Overall, women live about 4 years longer than the average male. There are many of reasons why this is, and here are some of them.
Why women live longer than men
One of the main reasons women live longer than men has to do with cardiovascular disease. The roles and habits common among men, more so than women, in every country contributes to a higher rate of cardiovascular disease in men (i.e. heart attacks, high blood pressure, stroke, etc.) Physically speaking, women tend to develop these heart problems much later in life than men do, and as these heart problems are among the most common reasons for death in all people, it only makes sense that women would live longer than men. One reason for this has to do with the fact that women tend to be more iron-deficient than men, which is one of the things that creates heart problems in the first place. It was once thought that estrogen actually played a role in the delay in heart problems, but doctors have found that it is not the case.
Another reason may have to do with the fact the women have two X chromosomes, while men have an X and a Y chromosome. So, the longevity in life for women can have to do with something as deep as DNA.
Reggie is a freelance writer for many sites, including ones about health insurance and life insurance, like http://www.kanetix.com/life-insurance.