Despite often having greater financial resources and access to medical services compared to women globally, men continue to experience earlier mortality and less healthy lives. An international research team published in The Lancet has calculated that the disease burden for men is 16% higher than for women on a global scale. This metric signifies that men spend more time living with illness and die at younger ages. Regional variations exist, with Germany showing a 14% difference and Switzerland only 4%, yet the trend of higher male morbidity remains consistent worldwide.
The study employed a new research methodology to analyze data from multiple countries, examining whether masculinity norms and societal expectations contribute to these health outcomes while controlling for factors like economic insecurity, poverty, and education. The findings suggest that men living in poor conditions, those facing exclusion due to origin, language, or sexual orientation, and those under severe economic pressure lead shorter and less healthy lives. A significant driver identified is the persistence of a traditional global image of men as family providers associated with strength.
Experts not involved in the study have welcomed this approach for moving beyond individual risk behaviors to include biological, psychological, social, and structural influences. Andreas Walther, a psychotherapist at the University of Graz, emphasized that rigid adherence to these norms is more damaging than masculinity itself. He noted that the health impact depends on how strictly these norms are upheld, the social context, and available individual resources. Michael Mühlichen from the Federal Institute for Population Research in Wiesbaden highlighted occupational risks, pointing out that physically demanding jobs, shift work, and high accident rates in industries like construction and transport significantly lower life expectancy for men in those sectors.
The research challenges the cultural belief that male bodies are naturally more robust against disease. Instead, it calls for health services to better account for social aspects when designing care for men. Mühlichen observed that men's reluctance to attend preventive check-ups may stem from rigid ideals of independence, negative past experiences with the healthcare system, or professional time constraints. In Germany, a specific gap exists where women receive regular gender-specific screenings from puberty, whereas men only have comparable systematic offers starting at age 45 for prostate cancer prevention.
The study also examined mental health among refugees from the Middle East and North Africa. It found that men raised in patriarchal societies often face chronic stress when unable to fulfill their expected roles as protectors and providers due to separation from families. Combined with racism and xenophobia in host countries, this leads to poor social integration and avoidance of healthcare, resulting in depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, aggression, self-harm, and drug abuse. Silvia Krumm from the University Hospital Ulm noted that these findings align with the 'Gender Role Strain Paradigm,' where psychological distress arises when structural conditions prevent men from meeting societal expectations.
While the study's power-critical perspective has been praised for linking social inequalities with individual actions, some critics point out limitations. Mühlichen argued that biological factors were barely considered and noted that other studies show the life expectancy gap narrows significantly under comparable living conditions, though it does not disappear entirely. The consensus remains that men are not a homogeneous group and that prevention measures must be tailored to diverse life realities, particularly for those in socially disadvantaged situations.
Sources: Tagesschau.