ABSTRACT
Research shows that marked differences exist between the health of men and that of women. Compared to women, men are at a relative advantage in terms of socioeconomic status (SES; Blau & Kahn, 2000). Also, men exercise more (Kim, Kim, Park, & Kim, 2010) and have lower depression (Albert, 2015), lower obesity (Kanter & Caballero, 2012), and better self-rated health (National Center for Health Statistics, 2001, Table 58). Men’s health disadvantages include higher rates of cardiovascular disease (Regitz-Zagrosek, Lehmkuhl, & Weickert, 2006) and all-cause mortality (Waldron, 2005) than women. Although to varying degrees, these strengths and weaknesses in men’s health have been documented across countries (Bates, Hankivsky, & Springer, 2009; Denton & Walters, 1999; Phillips, 2005). For instance, the magnitude of the gender gap in mortality differs across geographic regions and countries, but without exception, men in all countries live shorter lives than women do (Population Reference Bureau, 2007; Yin, 2007).
