Menns overdødelighet

 SAMMENDRAGForventet levealder for kvinner er ca. 6 år lenger enn for menn, en forskjell som svarer til en livsvarigdobbel dødelighet for menn. Ratioen mellom kvinners og menns forventede levealder var konstant fra1840 til 1950. I de siste 50 år har ratioen økt betydelig og varierende med alderen. De siste ti årene harigjen ratioen vært fallende. I NOU 13:1999 om Kvinners helse i Norge framheves en langvarig diskrimineringmot kvinner i forskning og i helsetjenestens møte med kvinner som et problem. Hvis det erriktig så kan man neppe si at det har gitt mennene en fordel mht. helse.Waaler HT. The excess mortality of men in Norway. Nor J Epidemiol 1999; 9 (2): 97-100. ENGLISH SUMMARYThe excess mortality of men has been observed for a long time and figures are presented from Norwaysince 1850. The ratio between females and males as to life expectancy was rather constant from themiddle of the last century up to about 1950. For the last 50 years the ratio has increased conciderablyand differently for the varying age groups. A recent Official Report on Females' Health in Norwayunderscores the discrimination against women from the medical research and the health services overthe generations. The increasing gap in life expectancy between females and males doesn’t support thisclaim or at least doesn’t seem to have given the males an advantage. One consequence of the differencein mortality is the widow/widower ratio which takes the value of about four in all adult age groups.