Sex Differences in Mortality

"Patterns of sex differences in mortality in developed and developing countries are briefly described, and the range of explanatory approaches that have been used to account for these differences are reviewed. Attention is primarily focused on the higher male than female mortality rate in developed countries. Biological and behavioral/environmental perspectives on these differences are considered in some detail. It is concluded that a specifically sociological approach to sex differences in mortality requires both greater attention to the spectrum of variation within and across societies and a more complex model of causality that takes account of gender differences in the nature of mortality risks."