Which is the weaker sex? : A study of the differential mortality of males and females in Australia

Abstract

During the course of the 20th century, mortality patterns in the developed countries have been characterized by a persistent widening of the gap in survival between the sexes. From a female advantage in longevity at birth of about two to three years around the turn of the century, the sex differential in many countries has increased to the point where females now enjoy an expected lifespan of six to seven years more than that of males. This thesis has been an investigation of the widening sex mortality differential in Australia, with some historical reference to mortality patterns during the colonial period. Almost one-half of this trend can be accounted for by differential mortality changes for the sexes at ages 65 years and over, with a significant contribution from mortality differentials at ages 15-64 years as well. Conversely, declines in mortality during infancy and early childhood worked to the relative benefit of males. At the older ages at least, much of the male disadvantage has arisen due to their excess mortality from coronary heart disease, malignant neoplasms of the lung, and the obstructive airways diseases, bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma. For younger males, especially those aged 15-24 years, motor vehicle accident mortality has been the leading determinant. A review of international sex mortality differences confirmed that this was largely consistent with the experience of other Western nations. Moreover, the gap in survival between the sexes in Australia currently ranks among the highest in the world, although there is now some evidence of a stabilization of the sex mortality pattern during the 1970s. Biological differences have probably been of minor importance in this change. Rather, a review of the evidence strongly suggests that differential lifestyles between the sexes were of far greater significance. It would appear that much of the excess male mortality from the major degenerative diseases implicated in this trend lias been due to their excess cigarette consumption, while alcohol abuse has undoubtedly played a major role in the higher death rate of youths from traffic crashes.