Why Men Die Younger Than Women (And How To Fix It)

Most men die before women do in the United States. American women lived on to 79 years old on average in 2021, compared to men, who only live until about 73 years old, according to CDC data. The U.S. has the highest rate of avoidable deaths, which is measured as death before the age of 75, among men than any comparable country. The life expectancy gender gap can have serious implications for society as a whole.

But there hasn't always been such a large gap between men and women. What became known as "the female advantage" emerged around 1890 and continued to grow throughout the 20th century, except for a decline during the 1918 flu pandemic. This change over time suggests to researchers that there could be an environmental component to life expectancy. That means there are some steps we can take to work toward helping men live longer.

"Everybody, men as well as women, benefit from a suite of particular behaviors," Karraker said. "A healthy diet, getting physical activity, not smoking, no-to-moderate alcohol consumption, maintaining deep, supportive social relationships. These are things that benefit everybody, including men."

Watch the video above to learn why men don’t live as long as women and what we can do about it.

Chapters:
0:00 — Intro
01:34 – Why men die younger
04:43 — Increasing life expectancy
07:07 — Retirement

Produced by: Charlotte Morabito
Additional Reporting by: Nathaniel Lee
Edited by: Santiago Garcia Munoz
Graphics by: Midnight Snacks
Supervising Producer: Lindsey Jacobson

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Why Men Die Younger Than Women (And How To Fix It)