Women outlive men due to lowered birth rates: study

Lowered birth rates may be one reason why women outlive men in today's societies, a new study suggests.
While women commonly outlive men, this is generally less pronounced in societies before the demographic transition to low mortality and fertility rate, researchers including scientists from Uppsala University in Sweden said.
Using unique longitudinal demographic records on 140,600 reproducing individuals, researchers showed that men who were born in the early to mid-1800s lived on average two years longer than women. This reversed over time and women born in the early 1900s outlived men by four years.
During this period, fertility in the population decreased from an average of 8.5 in the early 1800s to an average of 4.2 children per woman in the early 1900s, researchers said.

Female lifespan increased, while male lifespan remained largely stable, supporting the theory that differential costs of reproduction in the two sexes result in the shifting patterns of sex differences in lifespan across human populations.
The data shows that only women paid a cost of reproduction in terms of shortened remaining lifespan after the end of the reproductive period, researchers said.

Women who gave birth to 15 children or more lived on average 6 years shorter than women who only had one child. There was no relationship between number of children fathered and lifespan in men, they said.
Life-history theory states that each individual has limited resources that can be invested into reproduction on the one hand and repair of the body on the other hand.

This suggests that reduced reproduction should benefit female lifespan when females pay higher costs of reproduction than males.
"This illustrates the importance of considering biological factors when elucidating the causes of shifting mortality patterns in human populations," said Elisabeth Bolund from Uppsala University.
"Our results have implications for demographic forecasts, because fertility patterns and expected lifespans are continuously changing throughout the world," Bolund said.
"For example, the results suggest that as more and more countries throughout the world go through the demographic transition, the overall sex differences in lifespan may increase," she added.
Then there is Ruheen, 20, who is now studying a fashion

designing course.
"I had to face a lot of struggles to reach where I am today. I wasn't allowed to even go to my house's terrace. When I joined the class, I had to wear a burqa. But I had decided to make those compromises. I had decided to leave my past for a better future," she says.
"The attitude of family has changed. They are supporting my studies now. They were very happy over my 12th results and when I got admission in college. I want to be a fashion designer as much for them as for me," she says.

Apart from the two, there are 28 more such girls who took the exam this time. Each one of them have faced struggles of their own and have stories to tell and dreams to share.
Farida says women's education is often clamped down under the garb of religion.
"Islam tells us to study but in practice women are not allowed to study. People fear that if women study they will know and demand their rights. They don't want that. They want to maintain the status quo," says Farida.
"However, there are families who educate their girls and support them. Those girls are lucky," she adds.

Farida says there is still a long challenging road ahead of her, especially in an area like Jaitpur which has no government school within a 7 km radius.
The Chairperson of the organisation Iqbal says the situation is more complex than just pointing finger at parents for not allowing their children to study.
"In a place where people are sure neither of their jobs nor their dinner, education becomes a secondary option," says Iqbal.
"Yes you do have Right To Education but it is to make sure that students aren't refused admissions in schools. But what do you do about those who do not want to study at all or their parents don't allow," he says.

Farida's and Iqbal's concerns are real but there is a sense of reassurance with which Mubeena says, "Educating a woman profits not just her, but her entire family, in every sense."
Uttered by a girl who at the age of 20 was brought to Farida by her mother to learn tailoring so that she can earn a few extra bucks, it is clear that both Farida and Mubeena have come a long way, with a longer road to cover.