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From: elt@astrovax.UUCP (Ed Turner)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Life Expectancy
Message-ID: <591@astrovax.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 13-May-85 13:42:13 EDT
Article-I.D.: astrovax.591
Posted: Mon May 13 13:42:13 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 14-May-85 20:44:16 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: Princeton Univ. Astrophysics
Lines: 21

Discussion in this news group frequently centers on inequities in the
treatment of the sexes by society, businesses, history, people in general, 
and so forth.  Most of these inequities seem to be biases against women hence
the need for a net.women but no net.men.

It is interesting to note that in at least one very important way nature has
the opposite bias.  Namely, the life expectancy of females is roughly 10%
greater than that for males.  I was struck by this fact recently while
looking over (for an unrelated reason) some actuarial tables.  The death rate
for females is substantially less than that for males at all ages from birth
up to somewhere in the eighties.  This seems to be true in most if not all
cultures as well.

At least one feminist friend of mine thinks that there is a pleasing if rough
justice in this.  I am not sure I see it that way, but she may have a point.
If FORCED to choose, how many people would trade a fair pay scale (for
instance) for 6 or 7 years of their lives.  Obviously, one should not have
to choose.

Ed Turner
astrovax!elt