This means, based on current mortality data, that roughly seven out of ten women alive today, but only one in two men, will be around to celebrate their 75th birthday. There are a number of reasons why women live longer than men. Women have a hormonal edge in the battle against coronary heart disease, at least until menopause. Fewer women are killed in war, at work, on the streets, or by their own hand. Women are more apt than men to see a doctor for an ailment, prompting early diagnosis and more successful treatment of serious diseases.
Women smoke fewer cigarettes, drink less alcohol, and eat healthier than men.
Too often, however, the extra years are a mixed blessing, leaving women with sharp minds and sorry bodies. Women don't hold up as well as men. And many older ladies get so weak that they can't open a jar or get in and out of the bathtub without assistance. This weakness, and perhaps half of the chronic disorders, is mainly a result of years of relative inactivity. From adolescence on, women are much less active in sports and exercise than men.