Shorter lifespans of men
Shorter lifespans of men is always a debate, If we turn the past pages of history we will find that consistently men have had shorter lifespans compared to women. The average life expectancy for men is 69 years as per the data released by WHO (World health organization), compared to 74 years for women. Why do we want to know the shorter lifespans of men?
For centuries we have been observing this phenomenon because it is global, this variance is not specific to any country, region, or religion. Several types of research have been done on it but we cannot say with 100% surety that a specific reason is responsible for short lifespans for men compared to women though we can focus on a few factors that are identified that contribute to this question.
Before telling you the causes of shorter lifespans of men, I would like to introduce you to myths about shorter lifespans of men, please read below:
- Men are cursed: A few cultures believed that men are cursed that’s why they have shorter lifespans because they are cursed, it is commonly found in some African and Native American cultures, and it is believed that men made god angry due to it god punished men with shorter lives.
- Men involve more in reckless behaviors: Another myth is that men are more reckless than women and engage in riskier behaviors which results in shorter lifespans. This belief is mostly used to pacify why men have higher rates of four and two-wheeler accidents and injuries at the workplace.
- Men are more stressed compared to women: A few set of people believe that men are more stressed than women due to expectations of society to be breadwinners or a person who runs a family, men do not express emotions like the way women do. This stress is believed to result in higher rates of heart disease which is the leading cause of death among men and other health problems like anxiety, depression, etc.
- Men are prone to illness: A few cultures believe that men are more prone to illness compared to women. As they have to take care of all the things outside and inside the home which leads them to encounter endless stressful situations that cause them a myriad of diseases.
- Expendable tag belongs to men: People around the globe believe that men are meant to perform dangerous tasks and opt for dangerous occupations like military, spy agent, CIA, FBI, etc. You name it and they do it because they are expendable. They have the courage and reckless behavior that made them like this and they are born with it.
- Men are careless: Another myth is that men are more careless than women which is why they cannot take care of anything properly like their health, kids, home, relationships, etc. It is believed that because of this carelessness men indulge in heavy smoking, chronic drinking, and trying new drugs due to recklessness.
- Men are always more competitive than women: Another myth is that men are more competitive compared to women in every field of life because of this personality trait men are more like to engage voluntarily in reckless behavior like over-spending money, trying new substances, rush driving, extreme sports activities, etc. due to it they encounter injuries and accidents.
- Men are aggressive compared to women: Another myth is people believe that men are more aggressive and have frequent outbursts because of their masculinity and brain structure and that is why they engage in furious behavior like fighting and abusing which may sometimes result in fatal injury and lead to death or may sometime die by suicide.
- Men have a Lack of willpower: Another myth is people believe that men have a lack of willpower which is why they relapse most of the time and engage again in risky behavior most of them are unhealthy habits that cause a myriad of diseases and the major diseases are obesity and cardiovascular.
Biological Factors
We know that men have one Y and One X chromosome, on the other hand, women have two X chromosomes. Why I am telling you this fact because chromosome X is responsible for immune function as it contains many genes that are important for immunity.
Think about it women have two X chromosomes which means they have a double advantage in fighting infections and other diseases. It is partly due to genetic makeup. Reckless behavior is common among men till 21-23 years of age because their brain is not fully developed.
The grey matter of the brain is thick until this time and the prefrontal cortex is not fully developed but after this age, you may find changes in men because of this development.
Think about yourself how you were at the age of 21 years and how are you now? You can relate to what I mentioned above.
Androgen is the male sex hormone. Research has shown that men with a low level of androgen have a low level of risk of developing cardiovascular disease on the other hand high level of androgen increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. It suggests that this hormone plays an important role in the development of this situation. Biological factors may lead to the shorter lifespans of men.
Lifestyle Factors
Now, we have an idea about the biological factors responsible for the short lifespans of men. What do you think about the lifestyle factors? Just think about how you spend your life, when you sleep and wake up, what you eat, how much time you give to physical workouts, etc. Very few people do everything that they are supposed to do daily. Whenever they have a meeting they prefer to do it over drinks and dinner. Sometimes they drink a lot and miss dinner, and moreover, they need cigarettes along with it.
This is not the only case, whenever they find the opportunity on any occasion first they drink and involve in the function, and it becomes a trend. Excess of anything leads to disease whether it is substance use or eating unhealthy which causes heart disease, cancer, etc. I have seen people who get the lipid profile test and if it is abnormal they stop everything take tablets and start over again and follow the same process.
I do agree and I hope you too agree that men are more likely than women to work in dangerous jobs like construction sites, mining, and transportation. These occupations expose men to the danger and side effects of working at a particular place which causes a myriad of health diseases. The lifestyle factors may lead to shorter lifespans of men.
Social Factors
We live in a society. What do you think, what kind of pressure men have in their life because of society? Every society in every country has a different set of rules for different genders but most of the time they portray that men are strong have good immunity, men do not cry, and if a man cries he is not a man, men are always there for family no matter what, etc.
Because of their masculinity, they do not prefer to seek medical help in the early stage as they think it will be all right because they are tough, we all have heard the stories right. Men think if they seek help they are weak, which is why most of the time they do not express their feelings and do not seek help because it is against their rule by society’s belief which becomes their own belief system.
Men always have the excuse that they are busy with their work so they cannot get the routine check-ups like women do which may lead to shorter lifespans for men. Early intervention is always good for human beings. Sometimes it is found that due to society’s pressure, they avoid taking their child in public because he/she has neurocognitive disorders. You can think of this situation, and how bad it is. Sometimes parents do not know what to do due to the lack of awareness among the family. Social factors may lead to shorter lifespans of men.
No one answer can satisfy this question that why men have shorter lifespans compared to women but we have insight into the biological, lifestyle, and social factors that may lead to the shorter lifespans of men. Only genetics cannot be changed but other things and factors can be modified and a man can lead a healthy and happy life without any guilt, shame, or myth about his life. They must follow the rules which are rational and make meaning in the long run instead of following anything blindly.
You can also read a beautiful blog on the same subject by clicking here.
I hope this article helps to understand the shorter lifespans of men.