Widows also reported more stress with children and other family members than did married women. Introduction There are pronounced gender differences relating to health and ageing, reflecting biological and social differences and transitions and adaptation to these. The most obvious biological difference is that women have a finite length of reproductive functioning, the termination of which is marked by menopause. Postmenopausal life is characterised by increased cardiovascular and osteoporotic risk. Men live on average about 7 years less than women in most developed countries.
Women form the majority of carers.
Aged men are likely to be cared for by their ageing wives, but aged women are less likely to have a partner available to care for them when they are in ill-health. Most of the widowed are women. Older women living alone are more likely to be poor and anxiety over economic factors may add to grief and the effects of social isolation, to adversely affect wellbeing. Although men and women suffer from the same categories of illness in later life the patterns of ill-health, the presentation, diagnosis and management may show pronounced gender differences. Men tend to have acute illnesses, followed by a relatively short period of ill health before death.