Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 11/03/84 (WLS Mods); site astrovax.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!cbdkc1!desoto!packard!hoxna!houxm!mhuxt!mhuxr!ulysses!allegra!princeton!astrovax!elt
From: elt@astrovax.UUCP (Ed Turner)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Life Expectancy (Correction and Clarification)
Message-ID: <601@astrovax.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 21-May-85 11:28:51 EDT
Article-I.D.: astrovax.601
Posted: Tue May 21 11:28:51 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 22-May-85 02:36:21 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: Princeton Univ. Astrophysics
Lines: 28

In a followup to my original posting on female vs. male life expectancies, I
incorrectly stated that the death rate during the first year of life is
"nearly twice as large" for male infants as for female ones.  This was based
on my (faulty) memory.  The actual figure for the US is that it is 27% higher.
In fact this ratio is maintained throughout the early childhood years when
"behavioral" differences are minimal and is probably a fair indication of the
"natural" bias.

As people age, "behavioral" factors clearly become more important for a time.
For instance, the death rate for men of ages 20 to 24 is MORE THAN THREE
TIMES GREATER than for women of the same age.  It seems likely to me that
this huge bias is largely "behavioral".

As people become "elderly" the gap again narrows to 20 to 50% effects.  These
figures would apply for people over about 60 years of age.  This is also the
rough range of differences in survival rates for men and women with specific
life threatening diseases.  Again this would seem to reflect the rough
magnitude of the "natural" effect.

Of course, in evaluating these figures, it is important to remember that the
total death rate is much higher in the first year and last years of life than
in the middle (i.e., far more people die before their first birthday or when
they are say 75 than when they are 22).  Thus, the modest "natural" biases of
the early and late years are more important overall than the huge "behavioral"
biases of the middle years.

Ed Turner
astrovax!elt