Final published version
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Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - New perspective on why women live longer than men
T2 - An exploration of power, gender, social determinants, and capitals
AU - Baum, F.
AU - Musolino, C.
AU - Gesesew, H.A.
AU - Popay, J.
PY - 2021/1/14
Y1 - 2021/1/14
N2 - Background: Women live longer than men, even though many of the recognised social determinants of health are worse for women than men. No existing explanations account fully for these differences in life expectancy, although they do highlight the complexity and interaction of biological, social and health service factors. Methods: this paper is an exploratory explanation of gendered life expectancy difference (GLED) using a novel combination of epidemiological and sociological methods. We present the global picture of GLED. We then utilise a secondary data comparative case analysis offering explanations for GLED in Australia and Ethiopia. We combine a social determinant of health lens with Bourdieu’s concepts of capitals (economic, cultural, symbolic and social). Results: we confirmed continuing GLED in all countries ranging from less than a year to over 11 years. The Australian and Ethiopian cases demonstrated the complex factors underpin-ning this difference, highlighting similarities and differences in socioeconomic and cultural factors and how they are gendered within and between the countries. Bourdieu’s capitals enabled us to partially explain GLED and to develop a conceptual model of causal pathways. Conclusion: we demonstrate the value of combing a SDH and Bourdieu’s capital lens to investigate GLED. We pro-posed a theoretical framework to guide future research. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
AB - Background: Women live longer than men, even though many of the recognised social determinants of health are worse for women than men. No existing explanations account fully for these differences in life expectancy, although they do highlight the complexity and interaction of biological, social and health service factors. Methods: this paper is an exploratory explanation of gendered life expectancy difference (GLED) using a novel combination of epidemiological and sociological methods. We present the global picture of GLED. We then utilise a secondary data comparative case analysis offering explanations for GLED in Australia and Ethiopia. We combine a social determinant of health lens with Bourdieu’s concepts of capitals (economic, cultural, symbolic and social). Results: we confirmed continuing GLED in all countries ranging from less than a year to over 11 years. The Australian and Ethiopian cases demonstrated the complex factors underpin-ning this difference, highlighting similarities and differences in socioeconomic and cultural factors and how they are gendered within and between the countries. Bourdieu’s capitals enabled us to partially explain GLED and to develop a conceptual model of causal pathways. Conclusion: we demonstrate the value of combing a SDH and Bourdieu’s capital lens to investigate GLED. We pro-posed a theoretical framework to guide future research. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
KW - Aus-tralia
KW - Bourdieu
KW - Ethiopia
KW - Gender inequities
KW - Health inequities
KW - Life expectancy
KW - Patriarchy
KW - Power
KW - Social determinants
KW - adult
KW - article
KW - Australia
KW - case study
KW - conceptual framework
KW - conceptual model
KW - cultural factor
KW - exploratory research
KW - female
KW - gender
KW - human
KW - life expectancy
KW - male
KW - social determinants of health
KW - Tralia
U2 - 10.3390/ijerph18020661
DO - 10.3390/ijerph18020661
M3 - Journal article
VL - 18
JO - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
JF - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
SN - 1660-4601
IS - 2
M1 - 661
ER -