US men close in on women's longevity lead
Source: Agencies |
May 27, 2011, Friday
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Print Edition
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AMERICAN women are continuing to outlive men, but men are gaining on them in numbers thanks to medical improvements.
New 2010 census figures, released yesterday, show men are narrowing the female population advantage, primarily in the 65-plus age group. It's a change in the social dynamics of a country in which longevity, widowhood and health care for seniors have been mostly seen as women's issues.
In all, the numbers highlight a nation that is rapidly aging even as Congress debates cuts in Medicare, an issue with ramifications for the growing ranks of older men.
"We know in the past because of women's longer life expectancy, women put more emphasis on health care issues because they lived to an older age and often had to rely on the pensions of their husbands," said Jen'nan G. Read, an associate professor of sociology and global health at Duke University. "I would expect men to become more aware and involved in health care now that they may be affected in the same way as women," she said.
Over the past decade, the number of men in the US increased by 9.9 percent, faster than the 9.5 percent growth rate for women.
As a result, women outnumbered men by just 5.18 million, compared with 2000, when there were 5.3 million more women than men.
The male-female ratio in the US also increased to 96.7 from 96.3 in 2000, reflecting the narrowing of the female advantage in overall population.
There hasn't been such a sustained resurgence in the US male population since 1910, when medical advances started to increase women's life expectancies.
Broken down by subgroups, men were more numerous than women among those 34 and younger as more boys than girls tend to be born.
At age 35 and higher, the female population historically has been the majority as men were more likely to die prematurely from accidents, homicide or risks caused by workplace stress, alcohol, smoking or other factors. By age 85, the number of women typically is more than twice that of men.
Life expectancy at birth is 80.8 years on average for women, compared with 75.6 for men.
But over the past decade, the gender gap has narrowed. Since 2000, men who were 65 and older increased by 21 percent, nearly double the 11.2 percent growth rate for women in that age group.
Among those 65 to 74, the male-female ratio also has narrowed sharply. The number of women in that age group exceeds men by roughly 1.5 million, down from 1.8 million in 2000. Mark Mather, an associate vice president of the Population Reference Bureau, noted that the changing gender ratios already are having a social impact.
"If current trends continue, men's life expectancy will approach that of women in the next few decades, creating more of a gender balance in the oldest age groups," he said. "This has wide implications for family relationships in old age and caretaking, with more potential partners for older women."
New 2010 census figures, released yesterday, show men are narrowing the female population advantage, primarily in the 65-plus age group. It's a change in the social dynamics of a country in which longevity, widowhood and health care for seniors have been mostly seen as women's issues.
In all, the numbers highlight a nation that is rapidly aging even as Congress debates cuts in Medicare, an issue with ramifications for the growing ranks of older men.
"We know in the past because of women's longer life expectancy, women put more emphasis on health care issues because they lived to an older age and often had to rely on the pensions of their husbands," said Jen'nan G. Read, an associate professor of sociology and global health at Duke University. "I would expect men to become more aware and involved in health care now that they may be affected in the same way as women," she said.
Over the past decade, the number of men in the US increased by 9.9 percent, faster than the 9.5 percent growth rate for women.
As a result, women outnumbered men by just 5.18 million, compared with 2000, when there were 5.3 million more women than men.
The male-female ratio in the US also increased to 96.7 from 96.3 in 2000, reflecting the narrowing of the female advantage in overall population.
There hasn't been such a sustained resurgence in the US male population since 1910, when medical advances started to increase women's life expectancies.
Broken down by subgroups, men were more numerous than women among those 34 and younger as more boys than girls tend to be born.
At age 35 and higher, the female population historically has been the majority as men were more likely to die prematurely from accidents, homicide or risks caused by workplace stress, alcohol, smoking or other factors. By age 85, the number of women typically is more than twice that of men.
Life expectancy at birth is 80.8 years on average for women, compared with 75.6 for men.
But over the past decade, the gender gap has narrowed. Since 2000, men who were 65 and older increased by 21 percent, nearly double the 11.2 percent growth rate for women in that age group.
Among those 65 to 74, the male-female ratio also has narrowed sharply. The number of women in that age group exceeds men by roughly 1.5 million, down from 1.8 million in 2000. Mark Mather, an associate vice president of the Population Reference Bureau, noted that the changing gender ratios already are having a social impact.
"If current trends continue, men's life expectancy will approach that of women in the next few decades, creating more of a gender balance in the oldest age groups," he said. "This has wide implications for family relationships in old age and caretaking, with more potential partners for older women."
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