Older people are a very diverse group. Many older people lead active and healthy lives, while younger people sometimes have a poorer quality of life. People age in many different ways, depending on a wide variety of factors, including gender, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, genetic makeup, education, and income. Men and women age the same way. At the end of this century, women are living longer than men.
Women tend to have some biological advantages over the course of their lifetime.
As infants they are more resilient and as adults they are less likely to develop heart disease. Since 1920, life expectancy has increased by an average of seven years for men and 13 years for women. Women in Canada can now expect to live to 85, while the average life span of a man is 81 years. Because of this, women constitute a particularly large share of the total senior population in Canada. Women's longevity means they are more likely to suffer from the chronic diseases commonly associated with aging.