Men & Women
- marketingc8
- May 21
- 3 min read
This fascinating article in the New York Times got us thinking. For those who don’t have a subscription, the article (“Why Do Women Live Longer Than Men?”) reported that scientists are digging into why life expectancy for women is 80 years while it’s 75 years for men.
The same gap exists, the article stated, “for most other mammals.” However, women may live longer but their health is more frail than men in their older age. In other words, age is a risk factor in the quality of life.
But why, as the article asks, is one sex more “resilient” than the other? Across most mammals? Is the second X in the XX female sex chromosomes the key? What role does estrogen play? Why, if a woman experiences menopause even later in life than normal, does that mean an increased chance for an even longer life?
We hope you agree—this is a fascinating topic. From external appearances, why would one sex live longer? Heart, lungs, kidneys, stomach, nerves, muscles, bones—all roughly assembled in the same general configuration to keep our human forms moving about the planet. But, of course, so many distinguishing features, too.
XX.
Or XY.
So many distinctions as a result!
For instance, as the New York Times covers:
Males weigh more than females on average.
Males are taller than females by about 7%.
Males have a larger waist in comparison to their than females.
In females, the index and ring fingers tend to be either more similar in size or their index finger is slightly longer than their ring finger, whereas male's ring finger tends to be longer. (Which makes us wonder, why are the fingers different lengths anyway?)
And from the “Ask the Scientists” website, here are a few more:
Men typically have thicker skin—by about 25 percent.
Usually, men have denser, stronger bones, tendons, and ligaments.
On average, men typically have more muscle mass than women. And those skeletal muscles are faster, more powerful.
But women’s muscles more readily resist fatigue and are faster to recover.
Male and female brains are structured differently. They process information differently, too. “Men have more information-containing gray matter, but women have more white matter, which connects different parts of the brain,” states the article.
Women’s brains include bigger memory centers than men.
During exercise, women’s fuel is fat. For men, it’s carbs.
Men have pronounced Adam’s apples. That’s because they have larger voice boxes that make the surrounding cartilage stick out.
And, going back to the New York Times article, it’s worth noting that there are few physical differences before puberty other than the external genitals.
“In the first decade of human life, there is a significant amount of overlap between children of both sexes … Testosterone is the major active hormone in male development while estrogen is the dominant female hormone. These hormones are not, however, limited to each sex. Both males and females have both testosterone and estrogen.”
And from a YouTube video from “List 25,” a few more interesting tidbits:
Females are significantly better at distinguishing between shades of various colors than males.
Blood flow is more evenly distributed in the male body. In females it's concentrated around core organs and the pelvic region.
Females tend to have a broader face than males.
The external occipital protuberance—that bump on the back of your skull—is bigger in males than in females.
Vive la difference!
But why, in fact, do women live longer?
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