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Psychology 320: Psychology of Gender and Sex Differences

March 7

Lecture 52

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Reminder

Due to unforeseen circumstances, I must cancel my office hours on Friday, March 7.

I will resume office hours next week, on Friday, March 14.

A little R&R ….(Review and Reflect)

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Physical Health:

1. Are there sex differences in mortality and morbidity? (continued)

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By the end of today’s class, you should be able to:

1. contrast sex differences in mortality in distinct regions of the world.

3. identify sex differences in the leading causes of death among Canadians.

2. explain cultural variation in sex differences in mortality.

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5. describe the developmental trajectory associated with sex differences in morbidity.

6. discuss the relationship between sex differences in morbidity and gender equality.

4. identify sex differences in morbidity rates among Canadians.

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Are there sex differences in mortality and morbidity? (continued)

Age Male Female Male:Female Death Ratio

1-4 1,146 909 1.26

5-14 271 202 1.34

15-24 1,652 651 2.54

25-34 1,845 821 2.25

35-44 3,617 2,167 1.67

45-54 8,482 5,511 1.54

55-64 14,829 9,384 1.58

65-74 22,753 15,805 1.44

75-84 35,649 32,941 1.08

> 85 24,898 44,533 .56

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Annual Number of Deaths by Sex and Age (Statistics Canada, 2010)

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Consistent with these findings, the current and projected life expectancies of females in Canada and other “developed” countries exceed those of males:

Males Females

Life expectancy at birth in 2002

Life expectancy at birth in 2031

Current and Projected Life Expectancies for Males and Females in Canada

(Statistics Canada, 2010; World Factbook, 2012)

79.0 84.0

81.9 86.0

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Sex differences in life expectancy are more variable in “developing” countries than in developed countries.

Nevertheless, in the vast majority of countries, females outlive males:

Country Male Female Difference

Canada 79 84 5

US 76 81 5

Australia 79 84 5

New Zealand 79 83 4

France 78 84 6

Germany 76 82 6

Great Britain 77 82 5

Italy 79 85 6

Portugal 75 82 7

Bulgaria 70 78 8

Poland 72 80 8

Romania 71 78 7

Russia 60 73 13

Estimated Life Expectancies Around the World (World Factbook, 2009, 2012)

Country Male Female Difference

Cambodia 61 66 5

China 73 77 4

Philippines 69 75 6

Bangladesh 58 63 5

India 66 68 2

Nepal 65 68 3

Afghanistan 48 51 3

Iraq 69 72 3

Kuwait 76 79 3

Botswana 57 55 -2

Rwanda 57 60 3

Uganda 52 55 3

Zimbabwe 52 51 -1

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Today, “lifestyle” diseases are the primary causes of death among Canadians.

The mortality rates for the 5 top causes of death in Canada are higher among males than females:

Cause of Death Male Female Male:Female Death Ratio

Cancer 207.7 143.8 1.44

Heart disease 160.1 91.5 1.75

Cerebrovascular disease 35.2 30.2 1.17

Chronic lower respiratory diseases 34.1 19.8 1.72

Accidents (unintentional injuries) 35.6 16.5 2.16

Annual Death Rates (Per 100,000) for Leading Causes of Death

(Statistics Canada, 2010, 2012)

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2. Morbidity

As life span has lengthened, morbidity rates have increased.

Females suffer more acute illnesses and nonfatal chronic illnesses than males.

Chronic Condition Percent of Males Percent of Females

Arthritis 17 28

Hypertension 13 18

Migraines 3 11

Asthma 7 10

Bronchitis/Emphysema 2 3

Heart disease 6 3

Diabetes 9 7

Prevalence of Chronic Conditions Among Individuals Aged 45-64 by Sex(Statistics Canada, 2009, 2012)

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Chronic Condition Percent of Males

Percent of Females

Arthritis 34 53

Glaucoma 20 29

Back problems 22 26

Stomach ulcers 4 5

Bowel disorders 3 5

Chemical sensitivities 2 4

Urinary incontinence 9 12

Prevalance of Chronic Conditions Among Individuals Aged 65 or Older by Sex

(Statistics Canada, 2003, 2012)

Chronic Condition Percent of Males

Percent of Females

Asthma 6 9

Fibromyalgia 1 3

Thyroid condition 5 19

Migraines 4 7

Heartdisease 22 18

Diabetes 21 14

Cancer 7 4

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Moreover, although the morbidity-free life expectancy of both females and males has declined, it has

declined more dramatically among females than males:

Males Females

Average number of morbidity-free years in 1989

54.7 55.3

Average number of morbidity-free years in 2000

53.9 51.0

Morbidity-Free Life Expectancy by Sex and Year (Perenboom et al., 2005)

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In childhood, morbidity is greater among males than females. The sex difference reverses in pre-

adolescence, with females reporting greater morbidity.

Sex differences in morbidity are smaller in countries with a relatively high Gender Development Index.

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By the end of today’s class, you should be able to:

1. contrast sex differences in mortality in distinct regions of the world.

3. identify sex differences in the leading causes of death among Canadians.

2. explain cultural variation in sex differences in mortality.

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5. describe the developmental trajectory associated with sex differences in morbidity.

6. discuss the relationship between sex differences in morbidity and gender equality.

4. identify sex differences in morbidity rates among Canadians.