Why Women Outlive Men

I have always been curious as to why statistically world over, women outlive men normally an extra five to ten years. I see widows coming in at my work requesting military documents to file for benefits. So I decided to ck online for some articles regarding this issue:Women outlive men in almost every society.

In more developed countries, the average life expectancy at birth is 79 years for women, 72 years for men. In less developed countries, where high maternal mortality reduces the difference in longevity, women can expect to live an average of 66 years, compared with 63 years for men.“The sex difference in lifespan has been recognized since at least the mid-18th century,” says Daniel J. Kruger, a research scientist in the University of Michigan School of Public Health and the Institute for Social Research.

“Women live longer in almost every country. It originates from our deep evolutionary history.”Women's life span depends on the balance of two forces, according to Thomas Perls, a geriatrician at Harvard Medical School. One is the evolutionary drive to pass on her genes, the other is the need to stay healthy enough to rear as many children as possible. "Menopause draws the line between the two," Perls says.

It protects older women from the risks of bearing children late in life, and lets them live long enough to take care of their children and grandchildren.As for men, Perls believes "their purpose is simply to carry genes that ensure longevity and pass them on to their daughters. Thus, female longevity becomes the force that determines the natural life span of both men and women."I included a color coded map of life expectancy between men and women. Seems like in developed nations where healthcare is readidly available women will live an average of over 10 years longer than the men.

Websites:
http://www.hno.harvard.edu/gazette/1...enLiveLon.html
http://www.sph.umich.edu/news_events...search/one.htm
http://www.prb.org/Articles/2001/Aro...utliveMen.aspx