Possible Causes of the Apparent Sex Differences in Physical Health: An Empirical Investigation

For the past fifty years it has been consistently reported that men have higher rates of mortality, while women have higher rates of morbidity. The higher rates of mortality for males can be largely explained by the fact that they have higher rates for the chronic diseases which are the leading causes of death. The explanation of why women have higher rates of morbidity, however, remains unanswered. Recent literature suggests three possible explanations: (1) a greater willingness among women as compared with men to report they are ill and/or to react overtly to an illness, (2) the greater ability of women to adopt the sick role due to their lack of obligations, and (3) the possibility that the reported differences reflect real sex differences in illness. This paper evaluates these explanations and provides support for the view that the sex differences in morbidity are real. The data analyzed show that when one controls for marital status, living arrangements, psychiatric symptoms, and nurturant role obligations, the health differences between men and women disappear.