The Gender Gap examines gender differences with respect to health and medicine:
[T]he difference in life expectancy for men and women decreases significantly as people get older. At birth, for example, a woman’s life expectancy in the U.S. is 79 years, compared with 73 for men. But most of the difference can be accounted for by the fact that men are more likely to die between the ages of 20 and 45.“These are the decades where men are outdying women due to accidents, violence and suicide,” says Dr. Marts. Heart disease is also a major factor, especially between 45 and 60. But then “if a man reaches 70, he is likely to live almost as long as his wife.”