Gender, Health, and Mortality

Although life expectancy at birth of women in western societies is significantly longer than that of men (e.g., 80 versus 74 years in the United States), women experience more sickness and non‐fatal health problems than men (e.g., higher morbidity). Specific biological and behavioral explanations for these gender differences are largely unknown. It remains unclear whether these gender differences in health and mortality are found throughout the world. Here, the term “gender” refers to the way biological differences are socially and culturally constructed and expressed in actions and thoughts, whereas the term “sex” is used to define a biological category based on anatomical and physiological differences between males and females. “Health” is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well‐being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). “Mortality” is the rate of death in a population in a specified time period

Biological sex · Developmental psychology · Disease · Life expectancy · Mental health · Mortality rate · Population · Psychiatry · Sociology · Demography · Medicine · Psychology · Sex and Gender in Healthcare · Gerontology

• Gender, Health, and Mortality

  Open Access•Madeline Smith-Johnson, Madeline Smith‐Johnson et al.•The Blackwell Encyclopedia of…•2024

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• Sex, Gender and Health

  Open Access•Tessa Pollard, Catherine Panter-Brick et al.•Sex, Gender and Health•1999

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• Relocating gender and morbidity

  Open Access•Kate Hunt, Ellen Annandale•Social Science & Medicine•1999

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• In Her Lifetime

  Martin Brockerhoff, Christopher P Howson et al.•Population and Development Review•1996

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