Why Do Women Live Longer Than Men?

Social and lifestyle factors

The article says women outlive men in almost every country, but the size of the gap varies a lot. It is much larger in places such as Russia, Ukraine, and Vietnam than in countries like Nigeria. Sarah Harper of Oxford argues that part of that difference comes from social life and behavior, not biology alone.

Men, the piece says, are more likely to smoke, drink heavily, eat poorly, and avoid doctors. It also notes that married men may do a little better because spouses often push them toward medical care. In many societies, men also take more dangerous jobs and are encouraged to act in riskier ways. That shows up in higher deaths from traffic accidents, violence, murder, and suicide.

The article points to Britain’s anti-smoking campaigns in the 1960s and 1970s as an example of change. As smoking-related early deaths among men fell, the lifespan gap narrowed sharply. That suggests behavior can shift the numbers, even if it cannot erase them entirely.

Biology and evolution

The article then turns to biology. Consuelo Boras says estrogen helps protect women by supporting cholesterol control, immune function, brain and bone health, and by acting as an antioxidant. When menopause lowers estrogen, some of those protective effects fade, which helps explain later-life risks such as osteoporosis.

Testosterone is presented as the main male sex hormone, and the article suggests it may be linked to risk-taking, though that relationship is not fully settled. A 2012 study of castrated Korean men found they lived 14 to 19 years longer than other men, but the article says the study had limits.

Finally, the piece looks at evolution. In mammals, females often live longer than males, while in birds the pattern is reversed. One explanation is chromosome structure: female mammals have two X chromosomes, which may provide backup if one carries a harmful mutation. In birds, the sex pattern is different, which may help explain why males sometimes live longer there.