Five Possible Reasons Women Live Longer than Men

Why do women live longer than men? This question has rattled my mind, but it’s something that doctors, scientists, and demographers have studied for decades. Here’s the reason it’s so studied. Women outlive men in almost every country in the world. Many people say, “It’s a man’s world,” yet those in the know might say, “It’s a woman’s world,” if measured by longevity.

Data published in 2023 in the Jama Internal Medicine Journal found that in 2021, women were expected to live nearly six years longer than men in our country. Since then, the difference has narrowed to 5.4 years with life expectancy for a woman being 80.2 years and 74.8 years for a man.

Let’s look at five possible reasons women live longer than men:

Difference in hormones. As we all know, women have higher levels of estrogen, which appears to reduce the risk of both cardiovascular and brain diseases. According to the Cleveland Clinic, estrogen helps protect the heart and the brain and can lower inflammation and improve muscle mass and bone density. This estrogen lowers their risk for heart disease before menopause. This is probably why women develop heart disease about ten years later than men. Higher levels of testosterone in men are linked to riskier behaviors and may weaken their immune function.

This protective effect of estrogen is interesting to me because women are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than men. It seems that this would not be the case, but according to a recent article in Harvard Health, the reasons are:

The simple fact that women live longer is because the older you are, the more likely you are to develop Alzheimer’s disease.
Amyloid deposition may be fighting infections in the brain. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30001512/ Harvard researchers discovered this.
Autoimmune disorders are more common in women partly due to the fact that women’s immune systems are stronger. As a result, women have more amyloid plaque than men do.

Estrogen has neuroprotective effects—it helps maintain brain cell health, supports synaptic connections, and may reduce the buildup of beta-amyloid plaques (a hallmark of AD). When estrogen levels sharply decline after menopause, the brain may lose some of that protection. This hormonal shift is a leading theory behind women’s increased vulnerability.

Difference in Genetics. Women have two X chromosomes, which provide a “backup copy” of many genes. This “backup copy” means if a gene on one X is faulty, the other X gene can sometimes compensate. On the other hand, men have only one X chromosome and one Y chromosome, which makes them more vulnerable to certain genetic conditions. According to Dr. Robert Shmerling at Harvard Health, “The uneven playing field for boys starts early in life. The Y chromosomes tend to develop mutations more than the X chromosomes, and a lack of a second X means that sex-linked abnormalities are not masked by a second normal version.”

Difference in medical care. Women are more proactive with their health and tend to see a doctor and take preventative steps and screenings as compared to men. Simply put, women are better at staying on top of their medical care. I can tell you this is so. I‘ve seen it with my husband, and I saw it with my dad. Let’s be honest, women usually have to nag the men in their lives about doing these things. And the research proves it.

The Cleveland Clinic found that 60-65% of men don’t see a doctor on a regular basis. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, men are more likely to skip routine and preventative screenings and less likely to see doctors.

It doesn’t have to be this way. This can be improved.

Difference in immune systems. Research shows that women tend to have stronger immune systems than men. Estrogen may play a part in this because it helps to boost the immune system, but God may also give this stronger boost to women to protect the fetus. Women also tend to mount a stronger and more rapid response to both infections and vaccinations. Again, probably God-designed to protect women who carry and birth the babies.

Difference in risky behaviors. As I’ve already mentioned, men tend to make riskier lifestyle choices such as heavy drinking, smoking, and more dangerous occupations, which can result in higher rates of accidental and injury-related deaths. According to Our World Data, men are more likely to smoke than women almost everywhere in the world. In fact, one-third of men as compared to eight percent of women smoke. In addition, men tend to smoke more cigarettes than women each day, too. Then think of all the men who’ve been injured due to military conflicts or serving on the frontlines of our culture to protect the rest of us. There are now women in these fields, but not nearly as many as men.

As time goes on, we may discover more reasons. Also, things may change as more and more women enter the workforce and face the demands of providing for their families as well as caring for their needs. Time will tell.

Globally, women outlive men by approximately five years. In less developed countries, the maternal mortality rates lessen the difference in longevity between the two sexes. Biology through hormones and genes gives a woman a head start in life, but behavior tends to widen the gap even further. As more women enter riskier professions such as the military, construction, and protecting our cities and homes, this gap may lessen. But for now as far as longevity is concerned, “It’s a woman’s world!”

Do you know of any other reasons women live longer than men? Please share.

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Five Reasons Women Live Longer than Men

For Your Health,

Ginny

Ginny Dent Brant is a speaker and writer who grew up in the halls of power in Washington, DC. She has battled cancer, ministered around the world, and served on the front lines of American culture as a counselor, educator, wellness advocate, and adjunct professor. Brant’s award-winning book, Finding True Freedom: From the White House to the World, was endorsed by Chuck Colson and featured in many TV and media interviews. Unleash Your God-Given Healing: Eight Steps to Prevent and Survive Cancer was released in May 2020 after her journey with cancer and was recently awarded the First Place Golden Scrolls Award for Memoirs, a finalist in Serious Writers Book of the Decade, and Second Place in both Selah Awards for Memoirs and Director’s Choice Award for Nonfiction at the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writer’s Conference. It recently received the Christian Authors Network’s (CAN) Gold Award for Excellence in Marketing for reaching 62.5 million people with a message of cancer prevention and survival. It was written with commentary from an oncologist and was featured on CBN’s Healthy Living Show, Atlanta Live, and CTN’s Homekeepers along with over 75 media outlets. Learn more and cancer and wellness prevention blog and book information at www.ginnybrant.com. Ginny is on YouTube