Women didn't always outlive men - Why have things changed?

Society now places different pressures on the different genders.

The notion that women tend to live longer than men may be the trend in population nowadays but it was not always that way, according to studies. Men and women almost had the same life span during the late 19th century. The changes today, when it comes to life expectancy in both genders, were factors affected by the changing society.

Changes in the society brought changes in life expectancy for the life of men and women. Researchers have identified adults born in the 19th century had almost the same mortality rates. Anatomy may have been a considered factor in the life expectancy of humans in general.

According to the population data gathered by Hiram Beltran-Sanchez, a demographer at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, women outliving men is often considered a given.

Research shows that the common cause of death in people earlier in the century was due to the lack of clean food and water. Antibiotics were scarce, so helping them fight infectious diseases was difficult. Five major causes of death in both genders were identified as cardiovascular diseases, stroke, cancer, influenza and pneumonia. Men and women in the 19th century equally faced the challenges due to the lack of the advance learning in medicine that we have today.

When antibiotics became available and safer water, as well as healthier food options, became available, the odds of dying in any given year between the ages of 40 and 90 fell by 0.29 percent for women and 0.17 percent in men. It is now identified that the privileges women enjoy are one of the factors that allow them to enjoy longer lives than men. Men on the other hand are subjected to jobs that are more dangerous because of pressure from society and existing gender norms.

Cardiovascular diseases and smoking related deaths are also the reason men die younger than women. High fatty diets enjoyed by men give them unhealthy weight and clogged arteries that can lead to their death.

Lifestyle and choice in food and vices are the most common factors that affect the life expectancy of men today.

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