Estonian men have lived shorter lives than women for 150 years

Estonian men have had a shorter life expectancy than women for at least 150 years, with the gap shaped by changing social conditions and personal choices, ERR reports. Mark Gortfelder, a researcher at Tallinn University and the Estonian Demography Centre, says the gap has narrowed in recent years after reaching a low point in the 1990s.

Gortfelder’s study examined differences in life expectancy between men and women from the late 19th century to the present. For the mid-19th century, he used local data, including records from Mulgimaa, Tartu and the Governorate of Estonia.

The gap was about 10 percent in the mid-to-late 19th century. It was around two percentage points wider in the interwar period and reached 20 percent in 1948, after the Second World War. It narrowed slightly until the 1960s, then widened again before declining over the past 10 to 20 years.

In 1995, the difference stood at 17 percent, meaning men’s life expectancy was almost one-fifth lower than women’s. Gortfelder said that figure reflected differences in health behaviour as well as men’s broader social circumstances.

Some causes are difficult to establish. Gortfelder considers excessive alcohol consumption a possible factor in the 19th century, but says there are no data on alcohol use from that period. He also points to land scarcity, which affected men particularly because they were traditionally responsible for providing for their families.

Gortfelder said some difference in life expectancy is biological, as men are more vulnerable to certain diseases. But he noted that Estonia’s gap has been three times larger than Sweden’s, raising questions about differences in social conditions and men’s life choices.