Sometimes
when I hear my mother say that my father will die before her, I always
wonder whether she truly loves my father or whether she wishes my father
a premature exit from this world. On the contrary, my mother indeed
loves my dad, and does not wish him an early demise. She only says what
is natural- most men die before women. But why? Why must men die before women? Is it that men piss God off more often than women do?
The
other day I was in church, and it was the Family Sunday. It is a usual
practice in my Church that on a day like this, couples are called to the
altar for a prayer. When the couples and single spouses were called out
by the priest, I found out that among the single spouses, the widows
outnumbered the widowers. In fact, I saw only one widower. This then
prompted me to research on the reason men die before women. Is it
natural, or does it occur by chance?
1. Men are risk
takers: Biologically, the frontal lobe — the region that controls judgement and
the consideration of the consequences of an action— develops much more slowly
in boys and young men than in females. This is probably the reason the number
of boys and men that die in accidents or due to violence is higher than that of
girls and women. This lack of sound judgment and consideration of the outcome
of an action at times contribute to the damaging lifestyle choices young men
make, such as involving in cultism, heavy smoking, drug abuse etc.
2. Men have more
dangerous jobs: More men take up dangerous jobs than women. For example, more
men are recruited into the military than women, and more men work at
construction sites and drive heavy vehicle than women. Hence, more men fall
victims of occupational hazards than women.
3. Men die of heart
disease more often and at a younger age: According to research, men have 50%
chance of dying of heart disease than do women. One of the reasons could be the
low level of estrogen (the female hormone that stimulates the onset of
secondary sex characteristics in females). However, other medical conditions
could be a factor.
4. Men are bigger
than women: According to research, bigger animals across scores of species are
likely to die before the smaller ones. Even though, the extent of this effect
is unclear in humans, it obviously tends to lower men’s life span.
5. Men have more financial commitments: The
scourge of children’s school fees, house rent, medical bills, parents and
in-laws allowances and other expenses are enough to send a man to his early
grave, especially in a country where the economy is plummeting.
6. Men commit
suicide more than women: Despite the fact that women are more likely to go into
a state of depression than men, men commit suicide more. The reason is the
unwillingness of men to seek medical intervention when they are depressed,
unlike women.
7. Men have less
social connections: According to health.harvard.edu, people with fewer and
weaker social connections are more likely to have higher death rates than those
with many strong social connections.
Perhaps,
the longevity of men would improve if they took their health seriously
in order to avoid some preventable deaths. Consequently, the gender gap
between elderly men and women would narrow. But until then, my wife and I
will do what we can to stay healthy. But, statistics don’t lie. I’ll
probably die first.
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