The longevity gap between men and women

Research has shown that, when it comes to longevity, women are significantly more likely to live longer than men, with the gap between men’s and women’s lifespans widening by over a decade. The most recent data from 2021 revealed that women live an average of 5.8 years longer in almost every country across the globe. This has increased by an entire year since 2010. But why is there this longevity gap? And is there anything men should be doing to increase their lifespan?

The main reasons pinpointed for this widening gap have been identified as completely preventable, despite the main causes of men’s early deaths centring around heart attacks, strokes, cancer, or suicide. With risk factors ranging from biological to social, knowing what they are could be hugely beneficial for men.

Biological factors 

The risk for cardiovascular disease for men is 80% higher than for women, partially due to hormonal differences. Women can have up to ten times more oestrogen than men, which has protective properties against heart disease and stroke. In contrast, testosterone influences how and where the body stores fat, negatively affecting long-term health outcomes. These disparities place women at a naturally lower risk.

Behavioural differences

Despite this, the typical longer life span of women is only partially biological. According to the World Heart Federation, 80% of heart attacks and strokes are preventable through diet and lifestyle habits, leaving biological factors to only account for the remaining 20%.

The major risk factors involved in cardiovascular disease are all more typically associated with males, such as tobacco use. Men are more avid tobacco users, with roughly 4/5 of tobacco users on the planet being male. People who smoke are two to four times more likely to develop coronary heart disease, placing men disproportionately at risk. Smoking has an instantaneous effect on increasing both blood pressure and heart rate, putting strain on the cardiovascular system. Meanwhile, carbon monoxide released by cigarette smoke binds to haemoglobin in red blood cells more effectively than oxygen does, causing a reduction in the amount of oxygen able to reach the heart. Both effects contribute significantly to the development of heart disease.

In addition, men are more likely to experience obesity than women, which raises the risk of heart disease for men by over 20%. Nearly one in three men would be considered medically overweight, compared to only one in four women. This may be in part due to the disparity in societal pressure on women over men to partake in weight loss programmes.

Cultural and social factors

The stigma around both men’s physical and mental health can hugely exacerbate the effects of poor health as compared to women, with men being much less likely to seek medical care. Traditional masculinity norms of toughing things out have caused men to be more reluctant to acknowledge health issues, meaning that a third of men do not get annual health checkups. The resulting delay in medical care creates a pattern for men of being less likely to receive necessary guidance on modifiable risk factors, as opposed to women, who can be diagnosed and treated earlier due to being typically more proactive.

The societal stigma around men’s mental health and external pressure to ‘act like a man’ mean that men’s mental health is often bypassed. Christine Yu Moutier, MD, Chief Medical Officer at American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, argues that men are by nature bigger risk-takers than women, placing them at higher suicide risk, particularly in situations where men feel unable to speak out about their mental health. Depression in men may manifest as anger, rendering it less noticeable as it appears as simply a symptom of stereotypical male characteristics. In contrast, women are much more willing to either seek professional help or reach out to friends when struggling with poor mental or physical health, hence having a more accessible road to recovery.

What should men do?

It’s not all bad news for men – while not every early death is preventable, most of the factors that they become disproportionately affected by are. Men could consider modifying lifestyle choices, such as reducing the amount that they smoke or drink, or partaking in a healthier exercise and diet plan. Removing the social stigma around men’s emotional well-being could have a significant impact on reducing suicide risk and ensuring that men receive the medical attention that they need.