In the United States, the average life expectancy for men is now nearly six years shorter than that of women, marking the widest gap since 1996. Overall life expectancy, regardless of sex, has also declined. In 2019, the average life expectancy for both men and women was 78.8 years, but this dropped to 76.1 years in 2021.
“It was unsettling to see first the decline in overall life expectancy and then to see the disproportionate burden facing men,” says Brandon Yan, a researcher at Harvard University.
Historical records show that women in the US have tended to outlive men. However, the gap had been narrowing in recent decades. Now, a new analysis of US National Centre for Health Statistics death records from 2010 to 2021 reveals that the trend is reversing. On average, men are now dying 5.8 years before women, an increase from a low of 4.8 years in 2010.
Yan and his colleagues analyzed the causes of mortality to determine the major contributors to this disparity. They found that men are disproportionately dying from covid-19, drug overdoses, homicide, and suicide. Men have been more likely than women to experience severe or fatal cases of covid-19, which is the leading cause of the differences in life expectancy. “Deaths of despair,” including those due to alcohol abuse, suicide, and drug overdoses, are the second-largest contributors. These findings highlight a gender component to the nation’s worsening mental health crisis.
The researchers suggest that focusing on reducing preventable deaths could help close this gap. While premature deaths attributed to covid-19 are expected to decrease, uncovering the underlying conditions that drive people to use drugs and self-harm remains crucial.
If you need someone to talk to, organizations such as UK Samaritans and US 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provide support for those in distress.
Topics:
- United States
- public health
